Retirement Communities in Walla Walla, Washington

CaringScore for Walla Walla, 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 Walla Walla 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 Walla Walla.

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 5.5, Walla Walla 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 Walla Walla. Choose a category score to learn more.

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Walla Walla, WA

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Walla Walla, 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 Walla Walla 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 7.7, Walla Walla 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 296.1 physicians per capita, Walla Walla scores 34.3 percent better than the national average. Walla Walla scores 292.3 percent better than the national average in geriatricians per capita, with 5.1, and closely matches the national average in specialists per capita, with 20.5. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Walla Walla is 78.6 years -- 0.9 percent higher than most of the country. Air quality in Walla Walla -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 4.8 percent above average, and water quality -- another key measure of Walla Walla's environmental health -- trails the national average by 27.3 percent.

Doctors Per Capita	Walla Walla, WA	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	296.1	220.5
Geriatricians	5.1	1.3
Cardiologists	1.7	7.7
Oncologists	5.1	3.5
Orthopedists	8.5	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Walla Walla, WA

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Walla Walla, 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 Walla Walla 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 4.4, the costs associated with retirement communities in Walla Walla 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 Walla Walla. 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 Walla Walla to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Walla Walla is roughly equal to the national average. Average healthcare costs are 19.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing is 13.0 percent less expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Walla Walla, WA
Aggregate Index	98
Healthcare Index	119
Housing Index	87
Food Index	104
Utilities Index	85
Transportation Index	109

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Walla Walla, WA

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Walla Walla. 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 Walla Walla is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 3.6, Walla Walla 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 188 days each year in Walla Walla, 8.3 percent fewer sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 28°F in January, winters tend to be milder in Walla Walla 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 Walla Walla is 25.0 percent higher than the national average, and the property crime rate is 50.0 percent higher than average. At $40,451 per year, the population of Walla Walla earns a lower than average median household income. Walla Walla has an unemployment rate of 8.90 percent, roughly equal to the national average. And about 14.61 percent of the population in Walla Walla is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which exceeds the national average by 11.0 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Walla Walla	Nat'l Avg
Parks	0.6	136.1
Libraries	10.3	18.8
Places of Worship	108.7	220.5
Public Transit	0	110.4
Grocery Stores	133.3	97.7
Pharmacies	16.7	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65