Retirement Communities in Wilmington, North Carolina

CaringScore for Wilmington, 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 Wilmington 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 Wilmington.

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 5.9, Wilmington rates above average for those seeking retirement communities.

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

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Wilmington, NC

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Wilmington, 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 Wilmington 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 8.1, Wilmington 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 328.7 physicians per capita, Wilmington scores 49.1 percent better than the national average. Wilmington scores 53.8 percent better than the national average in geriatricians per capita, with 2, and scores 84.6 percent better than the national average in specialists per capita, with 36. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Wilmington is 78.2 years -- on par with the rest of the country. Air quality in Wilmington -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 4.8 percent above average, and water quality -- another key measure of Wilmington's environmental health -- is 21.8 percent above average.

Doctors Per Capita	Wilmington, NC	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	328.7	220.5
Geriatricians	2	1.3
Cardiologists	14.2	7.7
Oncologists	5.1	3.5
Orthopedists	14.7	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Wilmington, NC

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Wilmington, 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 Wilmington 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 4.5, Wilmington 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 Wilmington. 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 Wilmington to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Wilmington indexes at 8.0 percent higher than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 5.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing is 20.0 percent more expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Wilmington, NC
Aggregate Index	108
Healthcare Index	105
Housing Index	120
Food Index	106
Utilities Index	112
Transportation Index	99

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Wilmington, NC

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Wilmington. 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 Wilmington is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 4.2, Wilmington 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 216 days each year in Wilmington, 5.4 percent more sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 33°F in January, winters tend to be milder in Wilmington than in other parts of the country, and summers are often hotter than other places, averaging 90°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Wilmington is 75.0 percent higher than the national average, and the property crime rate is 100.0 percent higher than average. At $38,340 per year, the population of Wilmington earns a lower than average median household income. Wilmington has an unemployment rate of 8.40 percent, roughly 7.7 percent lower than the national average. And about 15.49 percent of the population in Wilmington is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which exceeds the national average by 17.7 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Wilmington	Nat'l Avg
Parks	0	136.1
Libraries	2.6	18.8
Places of Worship	82.3	220.5
Public Transit	153.1	110.4
Grocery Stores	222.4	97.7
Pharmacies	28.7	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65