Retirement Communities in Wheat Ridge, Colorado

CaringScore for Wheat Ridge, 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 Wheat Ridge 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 Wheat Ridge.

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 4.8, Wheat Ridge 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 Wheat Ridge. Choose a category score to learn more.

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Wheat Ridge, CO

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Wheat Ridge, 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 Wheat Ridge 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 5.3, Wheat Ridge 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 192.3 physicians per capita, Wheat Ridge trails the national average by 12.8 percent. Wheat Ridge trails the national average in geriatricians per capita by 30.8 percent, with 0.9, and scores 43.1 percent below the national average in specialists per capita, with 11.1. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Wheat Ridge is 79.5 years -- 2.1 percent higher than most of the country. Air quality in Wheat Ridge -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 67.5 percent below average, and water quality -- another key measure of Wheat Ridge's environmental health -- is 63.6 percent above average.

Doctors Per Capita	Wheat Ridge, CO	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	192.3	220.5
Geriatricians	0.9	1.3
Cardiologists	3	7.7
Oncologists	2	3.5
Orthopedists	5.2	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Wheat Ridge, CO

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Wheat Ridge, 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 Wheat Ridge 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 4.3, the costs associated with retirement communities in Wheat Ridge 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 Wheat Ridge. 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 Wheat Ridge to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Wheat Ridge indexes at 14.0 percent higher than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 9.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing is 38.0 percent more expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Wheat Ridge, CO
Aggregate Index	114
Healthcare Index	109
Housing Index	138
Food Index	105
Utilities Index	89
Transportation Index	98

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Wheat Ridge, CO

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Wheat Ridge. 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 Wheat Ridge is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 4.7, Wheat Ridge 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 247 days each year in Wheat Ridge, 20.5 percent more sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 17°F in January, winters tend to be colder in Wheat Ridge 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 Wheat Ridge is 50.0 percent higher than the national average, and the property crime rate is 50.0 percent higher than average. At $45,866 per year, the population of Wheat Ridge earns a lower than average median household income. Wheat Ridge has an unemployment rate of 10.40 percent, roughly 14.3 percent higher than the national average. And about 20.55 percent of the population in Wheat Ridge is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which exceeds the national average by 56.2 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Wheat Ridge	Nat'l Avg
Parks	13	136.1
Libraries	2.1	18.8
Places of Worship	50.1	220.5
Public Transit	73.6	110.4
Grocery Stores	98.8	97.7
Pharmacies	25.5	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65