Retirement Communities in Madison, Wisconsin

CaringScore for Madison, WI

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, 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, WI

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 8.7, Madison 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 368.4 physicians per capita, Madison scores 67.1 percent better than the national average. Madison scores 138.5 percent better than the national average in geriatricians per capita, with 3.1, and scores 92.8 percent better than the national average in specialists per capita, with 37.6. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Madison is 80.6 years -- 3.5 percent higher than most of the country. Air quality in Madison -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 24.1 percent below average, and water quality -- another key measure of Madison's environmental health -- trails the national average by 12.7 percent.

Doctors Per Capita	Madison, WI	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	368.4	220.5
Geriatricians	3.1	1.3
Cardiologists	14.3	7.7
Oncologists	8.9	3.5
Orthopedists	11.4	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Madison, WI

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, the cost of housing and healthcare, regional tax rates, and other key factors. With a CostScore of 3.6, the costs associated with retirement communities in Madison 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 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 9.0 percent higher than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 13.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing is 18.0 percent more expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Madison, WI
Aggregate Index	109
Healthcare Index	113
Housing Index	118
Food Index	98
Utilities Index	105
Transportation Index	110

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Madison, WI

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 4.9, Madison 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 187 days each year in Madison, 8.8 percent fewer sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. 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 are often more temperate than other places, averaging 82°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate index in Madison is 4 out of 10, which is about average, and the property crime rate is 25.0 percent higher than average. At $51,255 per year, the population of Madison earns a median household income on par with the national average. Madison has an unemployment rate of 4.90 percent, roughly 46.2 percent lower than the national average. And about 10.01 percent of the population in Madison is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which trails the national average by 23.9 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Madison	Nat'l Avg
Parks	5.7	136.1
Libraries	5.4	18.8
Places of Worship	64	220.5
Public Transit	340.3	110.4
Grocery Stores	85.9	97.7
Pharmacies	16.5	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65