Retirement Communities in Lake County, Illinois

CaringScore for Lake County, IL

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 Lake 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 Lake.

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 5.8, Lake rates above average for those seeking retirement communities.

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

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Lake County, IL

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Lake, 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 Lake 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 6.8, Lake 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 277.9 physicians per capita, Lake scores 26.0 percent better than the national average. Lake scores about average in geriatricians per capita, with 1.4, and scores 31.3 percent better than the national average in specialists per capita, with 25.6. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Lake is 80.1 years -- 2.8 percent higher than most of the country. Air quality in Lake -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 44.6 percent below average, and water quality -- another key measure of Lake's environmental health -- trails the national average by 49.1 percent.

Doctors Per Capita	Lake County, IL	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	277.9	220.5
Geriatricians	1.4	1.3
Cardiologists	8.9	7.7
Oncologists	4.7	3.5
Orthopedists	10.6	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Lake County, IL

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Lake, 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 Lake 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 4.7, Lake is on par with the national average for retirement communities.

Because of the broad range of housing, service, and healthcare options available at retirement communities, no average monthly cost data is available for Lake. 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 Lake to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Lake indexes at 12.0 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 53.0 percent more expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Lake County, IL
Aggregate Index	112
Healthcare Index	104
Housing Index	153
Food Index	92
Utilities Index	87
Transportation Index	107

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Lake County, IL

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Lake. 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 Lake is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 5.8, Lake 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 189 days each year in Lake, 7.8 percent fewer sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 13°F in January, winters tend to be colder in Lake than in other parts of the country, and summers are often more temperate than other places, averaging 82°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Lake is 25.0 percent lower than the national average, and the property crime rate is 25.0 percent lower than average. At $80,300 per year, the population of Lake earns a better than average median household income. Lake has an unemployment rate of 10.50 percent, roughly 15.4 percent higher than the national average. And about 10.09 percent of the population in Lake is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which trails the national average by 23.3 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Lake	Nat'l Avg
Parks	5.7	136.1
Libraries	3.6	18.8
Places of Worship	44.7	220.5
Public Transit	200	110.4
Grocery Stores	66.2	97.7
Pharmacies	11	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65