Retirement Communities in Madison County, Iowa

CaringScore for Madison County, 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 Madison 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 Madison.

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 6.3, Madison rates above average for those seeking retirement communities.

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

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Madison County, IA

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Madison, 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 Madison 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 5.2, Madison is on par with the national average for those seeking retirement communities.

Easy access to physicians -- especially geriatricians and other key specialists -- is important to older adults. At just 63.3 physicians per capita, Madison trails the national average by 71.3 percent. Madison trails the national average in geriatricians per capita by 100.0 percent, with 0, and scores 100.0 percent below the national average in specialists per capita, with 0. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Madison is 79 years -- 1.4 percent higher than most of the country. Air quality in Madison -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 16.9 percent above average, and water quality -- another key measure of Madison's environmental health -- is 32.7 percent above average.

Doctors Per Capita	Madison County, IA	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	63.3	220.5
Geriatricians	0	1.3
Cardiologists	0	7.7
Oncologists	0	3.5
Orthopedists	0	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Madison County, IA

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Madison, 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 Madison 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 7.5, the costs associated with retirement communities in Madison 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 Madison. 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 Madison to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Madison indexes at 11.0 percent lower than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 13.0 percent cheaper than the national average, and the cost of housing is 28.0 percent less expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Madison County, IA
Aggregate Index	89
Healthcare Index	87
Housing Index	72
Food Index	96
Utilities Index	93
Transportation Index	100

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Madison County, IA

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Madison. 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 Madison is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 6.5, Madison 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 202 days each year in Madison, which is about average in the U.S. With an average temperature of 11°F in January, winters tend to be colder in Madison than in other parts of the country, and summers often mirror nationwide seasonal trends, averaging 86°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Madison is 50.0 percent lower than the national average, and the property crime rate is 25.0 percent lower than average. At $55,060 per year, the population of Madison earns a median household income on par with the national average. Madison has an unemployment rate of 9.10 percent, roughly equal to the national average. And about 13.95 percent of the population in Madison is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which matches the national average.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Madison	Nat'l Avg
Parks	35.1	136.1
Libraries	25.4	18.8
Places of Worship	228.3	220.5
Public Transit	157.5	110.4
Grocery Stores	63.6	97.7
Pharmacies	31.8	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65