Retirement Communities in Elkhart County, Indiana

CaringScore for Elkhart County, IN

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 Elkhart 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 Elkhart.

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 5.3, Elkhart 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 Elkhart. Choose a category score to learn more.

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Elkhart County, IN

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Elkhart, 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 Elkhart 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 4.1, Elkhart rates below average for those seeking retirement communities.

Easy access to physicians -- especially geriatricians and other key specialists -- is important to older adults. At just 127.7 physicians per capita, Elkhart trails the national average by 42.1 percent. Elkhart trails the national average in geriatricians per capita by 23.1 percent, with 1, and scores 44.1 percent below the national average in specialists per capita, with 10.9. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Elkhart is 77.9 years -- on par with the rest of the country. Air quality in Elkhart -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 49.4 percent below average, and water quality -- another key measure of Elkhart's environmental health -- is 9.1 percent above average.

Doctors Per Capita	Elkhart County, IN	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	127.7	220.5
Geriatricians	1	1.3
Cardiologists	2.5	7.7
Oncologists	0	3.5
Orthopedists	7.4	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Elkhart County, IN

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Elkhart, 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 Elkhart is based on data such as the average monthly cost of retirement communities in the region, cost of living indices such as housing and healthcare, regional tax rates, and other key factors. With a CostScore of 7.2, the costs associated with retirement communities in Elkhart are generally less 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 Elkhart. 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 Elkhart to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Elkhart indexes at 12.0 percent lower than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 3.0 percent cheaper than the national average, and the cost of housing is 24.0 percent less expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Elkhart County, IN
Aggregate Index	88
Healthcare Index	97
Housing Index	76
Food Index	91
Utilities Index	89
Transportation Index	100

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Elkhart County, IN

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Elkhart. 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 Elkhart is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 4.6, Elkhart is on par with the national average for retirement communities.

Weather is an important factor in choosing the best place for retirement communities. The sun shines an average of 174 days each year in Elkhart, 15.1 percent fewer sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 17°F in January, winters tend to be colder in Elkhart 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 Elkhart is 50.0 percent lower than the national average, and the property crime rate index is 4 of 10, which is in line with the national average. At $49,937 per year, the population of Elkhart earns a median household income on par with the national average. Elkhart has an unemployment rate of 11.00 percent, roughly 20.9 percent higher than the national average. And about 11.57 percent of the population in Elkhart is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which trails the national average by 12.1 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Elkhart	Nat'l Avg
Parks	0.3	136.1
Libraries	5.5	18.8
Places of Worship	153.7	220.5
Public Transit	48.1	110.4
Grocery Stores	76.1	97.7
Pharmacies	13.4	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65