Retirement Communities in Onondaga County, New York

CaringScore for Onondaga County, NY

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 Onondaga 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 Onondaga.

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 6.6, Onondaga rates above average for those seeking retirement communities.

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

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Onondaga County, NY

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Onondaga, 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 Onondaga 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, Onondaga 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 309.8 physicians per capita, Onondaga scores 40.5 percent better than the national average. Onondaga scores 53.8 percent better than the national average in geriatricians per capita, with 2, and scores 81.0 percent better than the national average in specialists per capita, with 35.3. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Onondaga is 78.9 years -- 1.3 percent higher than most of the country. Air quality in Onondaga -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 21.7 percent below average, and water quality -- another key measure of Onondaga's environmental health -- is 18.2 percent above average.

Doctors Per Capita	Onondaga County, NY	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	309.8	220.5
Geriatricians	2	1.3
Cardiologists	14.6	7.7
Oncologists	7.1	3.5
Orthopedists	11.7	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Onondaga County, NY

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Onondaga, 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 Onondaga 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 5.6, the costs associated with retirement communities in Onondaga 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 Onondaga. 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 Onondaga to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Onondaga indexes at 7.0 percent lower than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 4.0 percent cheaper than the national average, and the cost of housing is 29.0 percent less expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Onondaga County, NY
Aggregate Index	93
Healthcare Index	96
Housing Index	71
Food Index	95
Utilities Index	112
Transportation Index	102

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Onondaga County, NY

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Onondaga. 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 Onondaga is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 5.7, Onondaga 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 161 days each year in Onondaga, 21.5 percent fewer sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 15°F in January, winters tend to be colder in Onondaga than in other parts of the country, and summers are often more temperate than other places, averaging 81°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Onondaga is 25.0 percent lower than the national average, and the property crime rate is 25.0 percent lower than average. At $50,348 per year, the population of Onondaga earns a median household income on par with the national average. Onondaga has an unemployment rate of 7.40 percent, roughly 18.7 percent lower than the national average. And about 14.03 percent of the population in Onondaga 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	Onondaga	Nat'l Avg
Parks	2.1	136.1
Libraries	6.9	18.8
Places of Worship	69.2	220.5
Public Transit	104.4	110.4
Grocery Stores	95.7	97.7
Pharmacies	10.8	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65