Retirement Communities in Thornton, Colorado

CaringScore for Thornton, CO

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 Thornton 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 Thornton.

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 4.3, Thornton rates below average for those seeking retirement communities.

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

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Thornton, CO

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Thornton, 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 Thornton 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, Thornton rates below average for those seeking retirement communities.

Easy access to physicians -- especially geriatricians and other key specialists -- is important to older adults. At just 69.5 physicians per capita, Thornton trails the national average by 68.5 percent. Thornton trails the national average in geriatricians per capita by 69.2 percent, with 0.4, and scores 74.9 percent below the national average in specialists per capita, with 4.9. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Thornton is 79.5 years -- 2.1 percent higher than most of the country. Air quality in Thornton -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 4.8 percent above average, and water quality -- another key measure of Thornton's environmental health -- is 45.5 percent above average.

Doctors Per Capita	Thornton, CO	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	69.5	220.5
Geriatricians	0.4	1.3
Cardiologists	2.2	7.7
Oncologists	0.7	3.5
Orthopedists	1.6	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Thornton, CO

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Thornton, 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 Thornton 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 4.6, Thornton is on par with the national average for retirement communities.

Because of the broad range of housing, service, and healthcare options available at retirement communities, no average monthly cost data is available for Thornton. 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 Thornton to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Thornton indexes at 6.0 percent higher than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 9.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing index is 112 of 10, which mirrors the rest of the country.

Cost of Living	Thornton, CO
Aggregate Index	106
Healthcare Index	109
Housing Index	112
Food Index	102
Utilities Index	88
Transportation Index	98

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Thornton, CO

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Thornton. 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 Thornton is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 4.3, Thornton 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 245 days each year in Thornton, 19.5 percent more sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 19°F in January, winters in Thornton tend to be similar to 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 index in Thornton is 4 out of 10, which is about average, and the property crime rate is 25.0 percent higher than average. At $62,933 per year, the population of Thornton earns a better than average median household income. Thornton has an unemployment rate of 8.90 percent, roughly equal to the national average. And about 6.39 percent of the population in Thornton is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which trails the national average by 51.4 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Thornton	Nat'l Avg
Parks	0.9	136.1
Libraries	2.3	18.8
Places of Worship	47.6	220.5
Public Transit	73.6	110.4
Grocery Stores	18.7	97.7
Pharmacies	5.4	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65