Retirement Communities in Fort Dodge, Iowa

CaringScore for Fort Dodge, IA

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 Fort Dodge 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 Fort Dodge.

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, Fort Dodge rates above average for those seeking retirement communities.

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

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Fort Dodge, IA

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Fort Dodge, 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 Fort Dodge 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, Fort Dodge rates above average for those seeking retirement communities.

Easy access to physicians -- especially geriatricians and other key specialists -- is important to older adults. At just 179.1 physicians per capita, Fort Dodge trails the national average by 18.8 percent. Fort Dodge trails the national average in geriatricians per capita by 100.0 percent, with 0, and scores 19.5 percent below the national average in specialists per capita, with 15.7. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Fort Dodge is 77.6 years -- on par with the rest of the country. Air quality in Fort Dodge -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 4.8 percent above average, and water quality -- another key measure of Fort Dodge's environmental health -- is about average.

Doctors Per Capita	Fort Dodge, IA	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	179.1	220.5
Geriatricians	0	1.3
Cardiologists	7.8	7.7
Oncologists	0	3.5
Orthopedists	7.8	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Fort Dodge, IA

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Fort Dodge, 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 Fort Dodge 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 6.8, the costs associated with retirement communities in Fort Dodge 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 Fort Dodge. 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 Fort Dodge to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Fort Dodge indexes at 16.0 percent lower than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 3.0 percent cheaper than the national average, and the cost of housing is 50.0 percent less expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Fort Dodge, IA
Aggregate Index	84
Healthcare Index	97
Housing Index	50
Food Index	95
Utilities Index	93
Transportation Index	101

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Fort Dodge, IA

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Fort Dodge. 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 Fort Dodge is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 4, Fort Dodge rates below average for retirement communities.

Weather is an important factor in choosing the best place for retirement communities. The sun shines an average of 203 days each year in Fort Dodge, which is about average in the U.S. With an average temperature of 7°F in January, winters tend to be colder in Fort Dodge than in other parts of the country, and summers are often more temperate than other places, averaging 85°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Fort Dodge is 75.0 percent higher than the national average, and the property crime rate is 100.0 percent higher than average. At $40,124 per year, the population of Fort Dodge earns a lower than average median household income. Fort Dodge has an unemployment rate of 7.70 percent, roughly 15.4 percent lower than the national average. And about 18.46 percent of the population in Fort Dodge is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which exceeds the national average by 40.3 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Fort Dodge	Nat'l Avg
Parks	23.8	136.1
Libraries	23.5	18.8
Places of Worship	156.6	220.5
Public Transit	0	110.4
Grocery Stores	124.6	97.7
Pharmacies	20.8	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65