Retirement Communities in Santa Clara County, California

CaringScore for Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara.

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 5.3, Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara. Choose a category score to learn more.

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Santa Clara County, CA

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Santa Clara, 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 Santa Clara 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 6.5, Santa Clara 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 263.9 physicians per capita, Santa Clara scores 19.7 percent better than the national average. Santa Clara scores about average in geriatricians per capita, with 1.2, and closely matches the national average in specialists per capita, with 21.1. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Santa Clara is 82.2 years -- 5.5 percent higher than most of the country. Air quality in Santa Clara -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 85.5 percent below average, and water quality -- another key measure of Santa Clara's environmental health -- trails the national average by 27.3 percent.

Doctors Per Capita	Santa Clara County, CA	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	263.9	220.5
Geriatricians	1.2	1.3
Cardiologists	9.1	7.7
Oncologists	4.1	3.5
Orthopedists	6.7	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Santa Clara County, CA

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Santa Clara, 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 Santa Clara 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 2.2, the costs associated with retirement communities in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara. 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 Santa Clara to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Santa Clara indexes at 81.0 percent higher than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 19.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing is 252.0 percent more expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Santa Clara County, CA
Aggregate Index	181
Healthcare Index	119
Housing Index	352
Food Index	112
Utilities Index	140
Transportation Index	120

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Santa Clara County, CA

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Santa Clara. 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 Santa Clara is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 7.7, Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara, 26.8 percent more sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 39°F in January, winters tend to be milder in Santa Clara than in other parts of the country, and summers are often more temperate than other places, averaging 82°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Santa Clara is 25.0 percent lower than the national average, and the property crime rate index is 4 of 10, which is in line with the national average. At $90,571 per year, the population of Santa Clara earns a better than average median household income. Santa Clara has an unemployment rate of 10.30 percent, roughly 13.2 percent higher than the national average. And about 11.31 percent of the population in Santa Clara is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which trails the national average by 14.1 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Santa Clara	Nat'l Avg
Parks	6.4	136.1
Libraries	2.3	18.8
Places of Worship	40.8	220.5
Public Transit	191.7	110.4
Grocery Stores	75.1	97.7
Pharmacies	8.9	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65