Retirement Communities in Jefferson County, New York

CaringScore for Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson.

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, Jefferson 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 Jefferson. Choose a category score to learn more.

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Jefferson County, NY

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Jefferson, 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 Jefferson 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 5.7, Jefferson 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 185.9 physicians per capita, Jefferson trails the national average by 15.7 percent. Jefferson trails the national average in geriatricians per capita by 100.0 percent, with 0, and scores 35.4 percent below the national average in specialists per capita, with 12.6. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Jefferson is 78.2 years -- on par with the rest of the country. Air quality in Jefferson -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 53.0 percent below average, and water quality -- another key measure of Jefferson's environmental health -- is 12.7 percent above average.

Doctors Per Capita	Jefferson County, NY	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	185.9	220.5
Geriatricians	0	1.3
Cardiologists	3.4	7.7
Oncologists	0	3.5
Orthopedists	9.3	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Jefferson County, NY

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Jefferson, 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 Jefferson 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 3.7, the costs associated with retirement communities in Jefferson 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 Jefferson. 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 Jefferson to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Jefferson is roughly equal to the national average. Average healthcare costs are 10.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing is 39.0 percent less expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Jefferson County, NY
Aggregate Index	98
Healthcare Index	110
Housing Index	61
Food Index	111
Utilities Index	131
Transportation Index	108

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Jefferson County, NY

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Jefferson. 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 Jefferson is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 5.3, Jefferson 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 161 days each year in Jefferson, 21.5 percent fewer sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 10°F in January, winters tend to be colder in Jefferson than in other parts of the country, and summers are often more temperate than other places, averaging 80°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Jefferson is 50.0 percent lower than the national average, and the property crime rate is 25.0 percent lower than average. At $44,908 per year, the population of Jefferson earns a lower than average median household income. Jefferson has an unemployment rate of 10.90 percent, roughly 19.8 percent higher than the national average. And about 11.48 percent of the population in Jefferson is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which trails the national average by 12.8 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Jefferson	Nat'l Avg
Parks	1.8	136.1
Libraries	21.2	18.8
Places of Worship	121.7	220.5
Public Transit	0	110.4
Grocery Stores	90.6	97.7
Pharmacies	16.1	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65