Retirement Communities in San Mateo County, California

CaringScore for San Mateo 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 San Mateo 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 San Mateo.

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 6.2, San Mateo rates above average for those seeking retirement communities.

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

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for San Mateo County, CA

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in San Mateo, 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 San Mateo 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 8.2, San Mateo 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 312.3 physicians per capita, San Mateo scores 41.6 percent better than the national average. San Mateo trails the national average in geriatricians per capita by 38.5 percent, with 0.8, and scores 48.2 percent better than the national average in specialists per capita, with 28.9. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in San Mateo is 82.2 years -- 5.5 percent higher than most of the country. Air quality in San Mateo -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is average, and water quality -- another key measure of San Mateo's environmental health -- trails the national average by 18.2 percent.

Doctors Per Capita	San Mateo County, CA	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	312.3	220.5
Geriatricians	0.8	1.3
Cardiologists	10.7	7.7
Oncologists	5.9	3.5
Orthopedists	11.4	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for San Mateo County, CA

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in San Mateo, 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 San Mateo 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 2.5, the costs associated with retirement communities in San Mateo 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 San Mateo. 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 San Mateo to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for San Mateo indexes at 87.0 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 273.0 percent more expensive than average.

Cost of Living	San Mateo County, CA
Aggregate Index	187
Healthcare Index	116
Housing Index	373
Food Index	114
Utilities Index	91
Transportation Index	109

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for San Mateo County, CA

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in San Mateo. 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 San Mateo is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 8.2, San Mateo 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 260 days each year in San Mateo, 26.8 percent more sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 41°F in January, winters tend to be milder in San Mateo 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 index in San Mateo is 4 out of 10, which is about average, and the property crime rate index is 4 of 10, which is in line with the national average. At $88,011 per year, the population of San Mateo earns a better than average median household income. San Mateo has an unemployment rate of 8.40 percent, roughly 7.7 percent lower than the national average. And about 13.82 percent of the population in San Mateo 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	San Mateo	Nat'l Avg
Parks	6.2	136.1
Libraries	4.6	18.8
Places of Worship	43.8	220.5
Public Transit	6781.9	110.4
Grocery Stores	97.9	97.7
Pharmacies	6.2	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65