Retirement Communities in Merced County, California

CaringScore for Merced County, CA

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 Merced 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 Merced.

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 3.5, Merced rates below average for those seeking retirement communities.

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

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Merced County, CA

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Merced, 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 Merced 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 2.5, Merced 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 83.1 physicians per capita, Merced trails the national average by 62.3 percent. Merced trails the national average in geriatricians per capita by 69.2 percent, with 0.4, and scores 69.7 percent below the national average in specialists per capita, with 5.9. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Merced is 77.4 years -- 0.6 percent lower than most of the country. Air quality in Merced -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 94.0 percent below average, and water quality -- another key measure of Merced's environmental health -- trails the national average by 63.6 percent.

Doctors Per Capita	Merced County, CA	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	83.1	220.5
Geriatricians	0.4	1.3
Cardiologists	2	7.7
Oncologists	1.6	3.5
Orthopedists	2	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Merced County, CA

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Merced, 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 Merced 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 4.2, the costs associated with retirement communities in Merced 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 Merced. 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 Merced to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Merced indexes at 6.0 percent higher than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 3.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing index is 106 of 10, which mirrors the rest of the country.

Cost of Living	Merced County, CA
Aggregate Index	106
Healthcare Index	103
Housing Index	106
Food Index	106
Utilities Index	106
Transportation Index	110

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Merced County, CA

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Merced. 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 Merced is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 4, Merced 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 263 days each year in Merced, 28.3 percent more sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 37°F in January, winters tend to be milder in Merced than in other parts of the country, and summers are often hotter than other places, averaging 96°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Merced is 50.0 percent higher than the national average, and the property crime rate is 25.0 percent higher than average. At $45,350 per year, the population of Merced earns a lower than average median household income. Merced has an unemployment rate of 21.40 percent, roughly 135.2 percent higher than the national average. And about 10.12 percent of the population in Merced is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which trails the national average by 23.1 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Merced	Nat'l Avg
Parks	9.9	136.1
Libraries	6.3	18.8
Places of Worship	66	220.5
Public Transit	140	110.4
Grocery Stores	89.9	97.7
Pharmacies	7.1	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65