Retirement Communities in Shelby, North Carolina

CaringScore for Shelby, NC

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 Shelby 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 Shelby.

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 4.7, Shelby 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 Shelby. Choose a category score to learn more.

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Shelby, NC

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Shelby, 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 Shelby 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 4.5, Shelby is on par with the national average for those seeking retirement communities.

Easy access to physicians -- especially geriatricians and other key specialists -- is important to older adults. At just 139.8 physicians per capita, Shelby trails the national average by 36.6 percent. Shelby trails the national average in geriatricians per capita by 100.0 percent, with 0, and scores 43.6 percent below the national average in specialists per capita, with 11. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Shelby is 75.1 years -- 3.6 percent lower than most of the country. Air quality in Shelby -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is average, and water quality -- another key measure of Shelby's environmental health -- is about average.

Doctors Per Capita	Shelby, NC	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	139.8	220.5
Geriatricians	0	1.3
Cardiologists	4	7.7
Oncologists	1	3.5
Orthopedists	6	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Shelby, NC

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Shelby, 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 Shelby 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 5.9, the costs associated with retirement communities in Shelby 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 Shelby. 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 Shelby to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Shelby indexes at 13.0 percent lower than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 3.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing is 44.0 percent less expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Shelby, NC
Aggregate Index	87
Healthcare Index	103
Housing Index	56
Food Index	103
Utilities Index	97
Transportation Index	96

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Shelby, NC

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Shelby. 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 Shelby is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 3.5, Shelby 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 218 days each year in Shelby, 6.3 percent more sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 29°F in January, winters tend to be milder in Shelby than in other parts of the country, and summers are often hotter than other places, averaging 89°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Shelby is 75.0 percent higher than the national average, and the property crime rate is 75.0 percent higher than average. At $32,275 per year, the population of Shelby earns a lower than average median household income. Shelby has an unemployment rate of 11.70 percent, roughly 28.6 percent higher than the national average. And about 19.67 percent of the population in Shelby is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which exceeds the national average by 49.5 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Shelby	Nat'l Avg
Parks	0.5	136.1
Libraries	3	18.8
Places of Worship	181.8	220.5
Public Transit	0	110.4
Grocery Stores	236.2	97.7
Pharmacies	34.4	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65