Retirement Communities in Pierce County, Washington

CaringScore for Pierce County, 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 Pierce 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 Pierce.

A 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 4.5, Pierce is on par with the national average for those seeking retirement communities.

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

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Pierce County, WA

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Pierce, 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 Pierce 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 5.7, Pierce 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 201.7 physicians per capita, Pierce closely matches the national average. Pierce scores about average in geriatricians per capita, with 1.6, and closely matches the national average in specialists per capita, with 17.8. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Pierce is 78 years -- on par with the rest of the country. Air quality in Pierce -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 66.3 percent below average, and water quality -- another key measure of Pierce's environmental health -- is 9.1 percent above average.

Doctors Per Capita	Pierce County, WA	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	201.7	220.5
Geriatricians	1.6	1.3
Cardiologists	5.3	7.7
Oncologists	3.7	3.5
Orthopedists	7.2	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Pierce County, WA

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Pierce, 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 Pierce 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 3.5, the costs associated with retirement communities in Pierce 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 Pierce. 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 Pierce to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Pierce indexes at 16.0 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 38.0 percent more expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Pierce County, WA
Aggregate Index	116
Healthcare Index	113
Housing Index	138
Food Index	111
Utilities Index	96
Transportation Index	105

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Pierce County, WA

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Pierce. 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 Pierce is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 3.8, Pierce 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 139 days each year in Pierce, 32.2 percent fewer sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 34°F in January, winters tend to be milder in Pierce than in other parts of the country, and summers are often more temperate than other places, averaging 76°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Pierce is 25.0 percent higher than the national average, and the property crime rate is 50.0 percent higher than average. At $59,082 per year, the population of Pierce earns a better than average median household income. Pierce has an unemployment rate of 10.70 percent, roughly 17.6 percent higher than the national average. And about 11.13 percent of the population in Pierce is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which trails the national average by 15.4 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Pierce	Nat'l Avg
Parks	1.2	136.1
Libraries	3.8	18.8
Places of Worship	63.1	220.5
Public Transit	707.3	110.4
Grocery Stores	72.7	97.7
Pharmacies	9.9	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65