Retirement Communities in Thurston County, Washington

CaringScore for Thurston 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 Thurston 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 Thurston.

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, Thurston 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 Thurston. Choose a category score to learn more.

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Thurston County, WA

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Thurston, 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 Thurston 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 6.7, Thurston 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 238.3 physicians per capita, Thurston closely matches the national average. Thurston trails the national average in geriatricians per capita by 69.2 percent, with 0.4, and scores 26.7 percent below the national average in specialists per capita, with 14.3. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Thurston is 79.2 years -- 1.7 percent higher than most of the country. Air quality in Thurston -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 14.5 percent above average, and water quality -- another key measure of Thurston's environmental health -- trails the national average by 9.1 percent.

Doctors Per Capita	Thurston County, WA	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	238.3	220.5
Geriatricians	0.4	1.3
Cardiologists	5.5	7.7
Oncologists	3.6	3.5
Orthopedists	4.8	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Thurston County, WA

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Thurston, 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 Thurston 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 3.6, the costs associated with retirement communities in Thurston 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 Thurston. 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 Thurston to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Thurston indexes at 17.0 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 47.0 percent more expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Thurston County, WA
Aggregate Index	117
Healthcare Index	119
Housing Index	147
Food Index	104
Utilities Index	87
Transportation Index	113

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Thurston County, WA

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Thurston. 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 Thurston is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 5.4, Thurston is on par with the national average for retirement communities.

Weather is an important factor in choosing the best place for retirement communities. The sun shines an average of 136 days each year in Thurston, 33.7 percent fewer sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 32°F in January, winters tend to be milder in Thurston than in other parts of the country, and summers are often more temperate than other places, averaging 77°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Thurston is 25.0 percent lower than the national average, and the property crime rate is 25.0 percent higher than average. At $61,135 per year, the population of Thurston earns a better than average median household income. Thurston has an unemployment rate of 8.90 percent, roughly equal to the national average. And about 13.03 percent of the population in Thurston 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	Thurston	Nat'l Avg
Parks	5.9	136.1
Libraries	2	18.8
Places of Worship	70.9	220.5
Public Transit	281.4	110.4
Grocery Stores	92.8	97.7
Pharmacies	12.3	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65