Retirement Communities in King County, Washington

CaringScore for King County, WA

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 King 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 King.

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 5.6, King rates above average for those seeking retirement communities.

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

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for King County, WA

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in King, 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 King 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, King 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 334.8 physicians per capita, King scores 51.8 percent better than the national average. King scores 61.5 percent better than the national average in geriatricians per capita, with 2.1, and scores 45.1 percent better than the national average in specialists per capita, with 28.3. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in King is 80.7 years -- 3.6 percent higher than most of the country. Air quality in King -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 56.6 percent below average, and water quality -- another key measure of King's environmental health -- is 9.1 percent above average.

Doctors Per Capita	King County, WA	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	334.8	220.5
Geriatricians	2.1	1.3
Cardiologists	9	7.7
Oncologists	6.5	3.5
Orthopedists	10.7	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for King County, WA

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in King, 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 King 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 2.7, the costs associated with retirement communities in King 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 King. 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 King to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for King indexes at 41.0 percent higher than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 16.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing is 113.0 percent more expensive than average.

Cost of Living	King County, WA
Aggregate Index	141
Healthcare Index	116
Housing Index	213
Food Index	110
Utilities Index	89
Transportation Index	114

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for King County, WA

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in King. 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 King is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 5.6, King 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 153 days each year in King, 25.4 percent fewer sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 35°F in January, winters tend to be milder in King than in other parts of the country, and summers are often more temperate than other places, averaging 75°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in King is 25.0 percent lower than the national average, and the property crime rate is 25.0 percent higher than average. At $67,742 per year, the population of King earns a better than average median household income. King has an unemployment rate of 8.40 percent, roughly 7.7 percent lower than the national average. And about 11.52 percent of the population in King is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which trails the national average by 12.5 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	King	Nat'l Avg
Parks	3.2	136.1
Libraries	4	18.8
Places of Worship	63.2	220.5
Public Transit	707.3	110.4
Grocery Stores	108.7	97.7
Pharmacies	11.3	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65