Retirement Communities in Yellowstone County, Montana

CaringScore for Yellowstone County, MT

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 Yellowstone 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 Yellowstone.

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 6.1, Yellowstone rates above average for those seeking retirement communities.

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

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Yellowstone County, MT

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Yellowstone, 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 Yellowstone 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, Yellowstone 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 342.4 physicians per capita, Yellowstone scores 55.3 percent better than the national average. Yellowstone trails the national average in geriatricians per capita by 46.2 percent, with 0.7, and scores 97.4 percent better than the national average in specialists per capita, with 38.5. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Yellowstone is 78.6 years -- 0.9 percent higher than most of the country. Air quality in Yellowstone -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 44.6 percent below average, and water quality -- another key measure of Yellowstone's environmental health -- trails the national average by 34.5 percent.

Doctors Per Capita	Yellowstone County, MT	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	342.4	220.5
Geriatricians	0.7	1.3
Cardiologists	13.8	7.7
Oncologists	8.9	3.5
Orthopedists	15.1	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Yellowstone County, MT

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Yellowstone, 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 Yellowstone 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 4.8, Yellowstone 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 Yellowstone. 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 Yellowstone to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Yellowstone is roughly equal to the national average. Average healthcare costs are 5.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing index is 98 of 10, which mirrors the rest of the country.

Cost of Living	Yellowstone County, MT
Aggregate Index	102
Healthcare Index	105
Housing Index	98
Food Index	106
Utilities Index	104
Transportation Index	100

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Yellowstone County, MT

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Yellowstone. 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 Yellowstone is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 4.8, Yellowstone 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 201 days each year in Yellowstone, which is about average in the U.S. With an average temperature of 12°F in January, winters tend to be colder in Yellowstone than in other parts of the country, and summers often mirror nationwide seasonal trends, averaging 88°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate index in Yellowstone is 4 out of 10, which is about average, and the property crime rate is 50.0 percent higher than average. At $49,464 per year, the population of Yellowstone earns a median household income on par with the national average. Yellowstone has an unemployment rate of 5.90 percent, roughly 35.2 percent lower than the national average. And about 14.19 percent of the population in Yellowstone 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	Yellowstone	Nat'l Avg
Parks	3	136.1
Libraries	2.1	18.8
Places of Worship	107.5	220.5
Public Transit	91.2	110.4
Grocery Stores	109	97.7
Pharmacies	11.3	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65