Retirement Communities in Dutchess County, New York

CaringScore for Dutchess County, NY

CaringScore was designed to help millions of Americans find the best places to retire, age in place, or receive eldercare. The CaringScore for retirement communities in Dutchess was based on more than 50 factors in three key categories: health, cost, and livability. By compiling and analyzing this data, Caring.com is able to rate the quality of life you or a loved one might expect should you choose retirement communities in Dutchess.

A CaringScore can range from 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and provides a quick way to compare cities, counties, and even specific zip codes. With a CaringScore of 4.9, Dutchess is on par with the national average for those seeking retirement communities.

The charts below highlight a few of the factors we used to calculate the CaringScore for Dutchess. Choose a category score to learn more.

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Dutchess County, NY

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Dutchess, rates a region on a scale of 1 (less healthful) to 10 (more healthful). It's specifically tailored to anyone looking for retirement communities. The HealthScore for Dutchess is based on the availability of healthcare resources, air and water quality, the overall health of the local population, and other key factors. With a HealthScore of 6.3, Dutchess rates above average for those seeking retirement communities.

Easy access to physicians -- especially geriatricians and other key specialists -- is important to older adults seeking retirement communities. At 237.3 physicians per capita, Dutchess closely matches the national average. Dutchess trails the national average in geriatricians per capita by 23.1 percent, with 1, and closely matches the national average in specialists per capita, with 22.5. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Dutchess is 79.5 years -- 2.1 percent higher than most of the country. Air quality in Dutchess -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 47.0 percent below average, and water quality -- another key measure of Dutchess's environmental health -- trails the national average by 18.2 percent.

Doctors Per Capita	Dutchess County, NY	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	237.3	220.5
Geriatricians	1	1.3
Cardiologists	9.6	7.7
Oncologists	2.7	3.5
Orthopedists	9.2	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Dutchess County, NY

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Dutchess, rates the cost of living for older adults on a scale of 1 (more expensive) to 10 (less expensive). It's specifically tailored to people looking for retirement communities. The CostScore for Dutchess is based on data such as the average monthly cost of retirement communities in the region, the cost of housing and healthcare, regional tax rates, and other key factors. With a CostScore of 2.4, the costs associated with retirement communities in Dutchess are generally more expensive than the national average.

Because of the broad range of housing, service, and healthcare options available at retirement communities, no average monthly cost data is available for Dutchess. The entry fee or purchase price for an independent living community can range from $50,000 to $500,000 or more, and typically requires an additional monthly service fee of $1,000 to $3,000 on average. The cost of living indices below provide the best proxy for comparing costs of retirement communities in Dutchess to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Dutchess indexes at 29.0 percent higher than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 13.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing is 75.0 percent more expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Dutchess County, NY
Aggregate Index	129
Healthcare Index	113
Housing Index	175
Food Index	109
Utilities Index	125
Transportation Index	109

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Dutchess County, NY

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Dutchess. On a scale of 1 (less livable) to 10 (more livable), it's a rating of the quality of life in a region, specifically tailored to those looking for retirement communities. The LivabilityScore for Dutchess is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 6.3, Dutchess rates above average for retirement communities.

Weather is an important factor in choosing the best place for retirement communities. The sun shines an average of 167 days each year in Dutchess, 18.5 percent fewer sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 16°F in January, winters tend to be colder in Dutchess than in other parts of the country, and summers are often more temperate than other places, averaging 84°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Dutchess is 25.0 percent lower than the national average, and the property crime rate is 50.0 percent lower than average. At $69,042 per year, the population of Dutchess earns a better than average median household income. Dutchess has an unemployment rate of 7.70 percent, roughly 15.4 percent lower than the national average. And about 13.37 percent of the population in Dutchess is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which matches the national average.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Dutchess	Nat'l Avg
Parks	2.9	136.1
Libraries	7.8	18.8
Places of Worship	61	220.5
Public Transit	574.2	110.4
Grocery Stores	86.8	97.7
Pharmacies	19.7	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65