Retirement Communities in Fairfax County, Virginia

CaringScore for Fairfax County, VA

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 Fairfax 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 Fairfax.

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 5.9, Fairfax rates above average for those seeking retirement communities.

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

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Fairfax County, VA

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Fairfax, 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 Fairfax 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 8, Fairfax 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 303.3 physicians per capita, Fairfax scores 37.6 percent better than the national average. Fairfax scores 30.8 percent better than the national average in geriatricians per capita, with 1.7, and scores 41.0 percent better than the national average in specialists per capita, with 27.5. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Fairfax is 82.5 years -- 5.9 percent higher than most of the country. Air quality in Fairfax -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 92.8 percent below average, and water quality -- another key measure of Fairfax's environmental health -- trails the national average by 27.3 percent.

Doctors Per Capita	Fairfax County, VA	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	303.3	220.5
Geriatricians	1.7	1.3
Cardiologists	11.3	7.7
Oncologists	4.2	3.5
Orthopedists	10.3	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Fairfax County, VA

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Fairfax, 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 Fairfax 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 3.5, the costs associated with retirement communities in Fairfax 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 Fairfax. 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 Fairfax to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Fairfax indexes at 51.0 percent higher than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 4.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing is 171.0 percent more expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Fairfax County, VA
Aggregate Index	151
Healthcare Index	104
Housing Index	271
Food Index	111
Utilities Index	101
Transportation Index	109

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Fairfax County, VA

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Fairfax. 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 Fairfax is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 6.1, Fairfax 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 199 days each year in Fairfax, 2.9 percent fewer sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 24°F in January, winters tend to be milder in Fairfax than in other parts of the country, and summers are often hotter than other places, averaging 88°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate index in Fairfax is 4 out of 10, which is about average, and the property crime rate is 25.0 percent lower than average. At $107,223 per year, the population of Fairfax earns a better than average median household income. Fairfax has an unemployment rate of 4.50 percent, roughly 50.5 percent lower than the national average. And about 10.75 percent of the population in Fairfax is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which trails the national average by 18.3 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Fairfax	Nat'l Avg
Parks	3.9	136.1
Libraries	2.2	18.8
Places of Worship	41.9	220.5
Public Transit	1470.4	110.4
Grocery Stores	71	97.7
Pharmacies	11.7	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65