Retirement Communities in Lancaster, South Carolina

CaringScore for Lancaster, SC

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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster.

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 4.4, Lancaster rates below average for those seeking retirement communities.

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

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Lancaster, SC

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Lancaster, 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 Lancaster 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 4, Lancaster rates below average for those seeking retirement communities.

Easy access to physicians -- especially geriatricians and other key specialists -- is important to older adults. At just 82.1 physicians per capita, Lancaster trails the national average by 62.8 percent. Lancaster trails the national average in geriatricians per capita by 100.0 percent, with 0, and scores 48.2 percent below the national average in specialists per capita, with 10.1. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Lancaster is 76 years -- 2.4 percent lower than most of the country. Air quality in Lancaster -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 2.4 percent above average, and water quality -- another key measure of Lancaster's environmental health -- is about average.

Doctors Per Capita	Lancaster, SC	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	82.1	220.5
Geriatricians	0	1.3
Cardiologists	5.1	7.7
Oncologists	1.3	3.5
Orthopedists	3.8	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Lancaster, SC

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Lancaster, 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 Lancaster 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 5.5, Lancaster 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 Lancaster. 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 Lancaster to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Lancaster indexes at 9.0 percent lower than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 2.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing is 40.0 percent less expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Lancaster, SC
Aggregate Index	91
Healthcare Index	102
Housing Index	60
Food Index	104
Utilities Index	107
Transportation Index	98

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Lancaster, SC

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Lancaster. 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 Lancaster is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 3.4, Lancaster 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 214 days each year in Lancaster, 4.4 percent more sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 36°F in January, winters tend to be milder in Lancaster than in other parts of the country, and summers are often hotter than other places, averaging 90°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Lancaster is 125.0 percent higher than the national average, and the property crime rate is 150.0 percent higher than average. At $29,151 per year, the population of Lancaster earns a lower than average median household income. Lancaster has an unemployment rate of 13.40 percent, roughly 47.3 percent higher than the national average. And about 16.40 percent of the population in Lancaster is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which exceeds the national average by 24.6 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Lancaster	Nat'l Avg
Parks	0.9	136.1
Libraries	5.3	18.8
Places of Worship	185.8	220.5
Public Transit	0	110.4
Grocery Stores	433.4	97.7
Pharmacies	69	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65