Retirement Communities in Mercer Island, Washington

CaringScore for Mercer Island, WA

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 Mercer Island 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 Mercer Island.

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 6.1, Mercer Island rates above average for those seeking retirement communities.

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

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Mercer Island, WA

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Mercer Island, 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 Mercer Island 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, Mercer Island 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 334.8 physicians per capita, Mercer Island scores 51.8 percent better than the national average. Mercer Island scores 61.5 percent better than the national average in geriatricians per capita, with 2.1, and scores 45.1 percent better than the national average in specialists per capita, with 28.3. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Mercer Island is 80.7 years -- 3.6 percent higher than most of the country. Air quality in Mercer Island -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 56.6 percent below average, and water quality -- another key measure of Mercer Island's environmental health -- is 9.1 percent above average.

Doctors Per Capita	Mercer Island, WA	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	334.8	220.5
Geriatricians	2.1	1.3
Cardiologists	9	7.7
Oncologists	6.5	3.5
Orthopedists	10.7	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Mercer Island, WA

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Mercer Island, 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 Mercer Island 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 2.7, the costs associated with retirement communities in Mercer Island 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 Mercer Island. 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 Mercer Island to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Mercer Island indexes at 118.0 percent higher than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 16.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing is 389.0 percent more expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Mercer Island, WA
Aggregate Index	218
Healthcare Index	116
Housing Index	489
Food Index	110
Utilities Index	89
Transportation Index	114

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Mercer Island, WA

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Mercer Island. 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 Mercer Island is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 7.9, Mercer Island 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 156 days each year in Mercer Island, 23.9 percent fewer 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 Mercer Island than in other parts of the country, and summers are often more temperate than other places, averaging 75°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Mercer Island is 75.0 percent lower than the national average, and the property crime rate is 25.0 percent lower than average. At $110,359 per year, the population of Mercer Island earns a better than average median household income. Mercer Island has an unemployment rate of 8.40 percent, roughly 7.7 percent lower than the national average. And about 19.78 percent of the population in Mercer Island is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which exceeds the national average by 50.3 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Mercer Island	Nat'l Avg
Parks	3.2	136.1
Libraries	4	18.8
Places of Worship	63.2	220.5
Public Transit	707.3	110.4
Grocery Stores	70.6	97.7
Pharmacies	16.6	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65