The capital of Massachusetts, and largest city in the state, Boston is named by Bankrate.com as the second-best city in the U.S. to retire, largely due to its access to leading health care facilities, low crime rates and overall quality of life. Its vibrant downtown area is full of historic sites, entertainment venues and unique attractions, and while it’s known as America’s walking city, seniors can easily get around on the public transportation system, known locally as the “T.” Boston is currently home to over 76,000 seniors, though it’s projected that by 2030, seniors will make up one-fifth of the population. With this in mind, Boston Centers for Youth and Families (BCYF) manages two stand-alone senior centers, dedicated spaces at local venues and various partnership programs with local senior-focused services.
To help seniors discover the most senior-friendly cities around the country, Caring.com conducted a new study, “The Best Places for Seniors.” This survey analyzes and ranks 300 cities and 50 states on the quality of senior living in that area. The cities were graded using 70 metrics across six categories: senior housing, engagement, affordability, quality of life, health care and transportation.
Quick Facts in Boston
Top #1 for Access to parks
Top #2 for Availability of subsidized housing
Top #3 for Activity density
Top #5 for Crash rate
Top #9 for Mental Health Professionals For Every 100,000 People
National Rankings in Boston
In order to find the states that are most friendly to seniors and offer the highest quality of life, Caring.com’s 2019 Senior Living Report graded every state in the U.S. across six different categories, using 70 individual metrics. Below you can see how Boston compared to the rest of the nation.
Overall
Health Care
Senior Living & Housing
Community Involvement
Transportation
Quality Of Life
Affordability
Overall
Health Care
Senior Living & Housing
Community Involvement
Transportation
Quality Of Life
Affordability
3rd
/302
in Overall Rankings
Primary Care Physicians For Every 100,000 People
104
for every 100,000 people
U.S. Average: 82
Around the National Average
Patient satisfaction
76%
of patients are satisfied
U.S. Average: 72%
Around the National Average
Housing costs
$1,513
per month
U.S. Average: $1,375
Around the National Average
Crime rate
357.1
crimes per 10,000 people
U.S. Average: 330.74
Around the National Average
Drinking water quality
0%
of people are exposed to violations
U.S. Average: 4%
Around the National Average
Regional air quality
0.33
unhealthy air quality days per year
U.S. Average: 16.52
Around the National Average
Traffic congestion
34.67
hours per person per year
U.S. Average: 29.9
Around the National Average
Crash rate
2.74
fatal crashes per 100,000 people per year
U.S. Average: 6.73
Around the National Average
14th
/302
in Health Care Rankings
Primary Care Physicians For Every 100,000 People
104
for every 100,000 people
U.S. Average: 82
Around the National Average
Dentists For Every 100,000 People
99
for every 100,000 people
U.S. Average: 72
Around the National Average
Mental Health Professionals For Every 100,000 People
540
for every 100,000 people
U.S. Average: 224
Around the National Average
Other Providers For Every 100,000 People
110
for every 100,000 people
U.S. Average: 77
Around the National Average
Health care professional shortage areas
0
index (from 0 to 25)
U.S. Average: 2.8
Around the National Average
Preventable hospitalization rate
49.93
preventable hospitalizations per 1,000 patients
U.S. Average: 42.62
Around the National Average
Patient satisfaction
76%
of patients are satisfied
U.S. Average: 72%
Around the National Average
State expansion of the Family and Medical Leave Act
8th
/302
in Senior Living & Housing Rankings
Age diversity
0.78
U.S. Average: 0.85
Around the National Average
Zero-step entrances
31%
of units
U.S. Average: 47%
Around the National Average
Availability of multi-family housing
86%
of units are multi-family
U.S. Average: 40%
Around the National Average
Housing costs
$1,513
per month
U.S. Average: $1,375
Around the National Average
Housing cost burden
19%
of income spent on housing
U.S. Average: 22%
Around the National Average
Availability of subsidized housing
723.8
units per 10,000 people
U.S. Average: 182.34
Around the National Average
State and local TOD programs
State utility disconnection policies
State energy efficiency scorecard
State manufactured housing protections
172nd
/302
in Community Involvement Rankings
Opportunity for civic involvement
7.21
organizations per 10,000 people
U.S. Average: 6.42
Around the National Average
Voting rate
49%
of people voted
U.S. Average: 55%
Around the National Average
Social involvement index
0.97
index (from 0 to 2)
U.S. Average: 0.96
Around the National Average
Early, absentee, or mail-in state voting laws
Local human rights commissions
16th
/302
in Transportation Rankings
Frequency of local transit service
163.13
buses and trains per hour
U.S. Average: 17.89
Around the National Average
ADA-accessible stations and vehicles
78%
of stations and vehicles are accessible
U.S. Average: 88%
Around the National Average
Walk trips
1.65
trips per household per day
U.S. Average: 0.9
Around the National Average
Traffic congestion
34.67
hours per person per year
U.S. Average: 29.9
Around the National Average
Household transportation costs
$10,212
per year
U.S. Average: $12,242
Around the National Average
Speed limits
26.89
miles per hour
U.S. Average: 30.1
Around the National Average
Crash rate
2.74
fatal crashes per 100,000 people per year
U.S. Average: 6.73
Around the National Average
State and local Complete Streets policies
State human services transportation coordination
State volunteer driver policies
7th
/302
in Quality Of Life Rankings
Access to grocery stores and farmers’ markets
10.17
stores and markets within a half-mile
U.S. Average: 2.6
Around the National Average
Access to parks
4.34
parks within a half-mile
U.S. Average: 1.13
Around the National Average
Access to libraries
0.55
libraries within a half-mile
U.S. Average: 0.13
Around the National Average
Access to jobs by transit
46867.6
jobs accessible within a 45-minute transit commute
U.S. Average: 5728.79
Around the National Average
Access to jobs by auto
158805
jobs accessible within a 45-minute automobile commute
U.S. Average: 87944.19
Around the National Average
Diversity of destinations
0.75
diversity of jobs within a mile (from 0 to 1)
U.S. Average: 0.72
Around the National Average
Activity density
38838.9
jobs and people per sq. mi.
U.S. Average: 8056.92
Around the National Average
Crime rate
357.1
crimes per 10,000 people
U.S. Average: 330.74
Around the National Average
Vacancy rate
8%
of units are vacant
U.S. Average: 11%
Around the National Average
Broadband cost and speed
50%
of residents have high-speed, low-cost service
U.S. Average: 40%
Around the National Average
Cultural, arts, and entertainment institutions
0.1
institutions per 10,000 people
U.S. Average: 0.13
Around the National Average
Smoking prevalence
18%
of people smoke regularly
U.S. Average: 18%
Around the National Average
Obesity prevalence
25%
of people are obese
U.S. Average: 27%
Around the National Average
Access to exercise opportunities
100%
of people have access
U.S. Average: 93%
Around the National Average
Drinking water quality
0%
of people are exposed to violations
U.S. Average: 4%
Around the National Average
Regional air quality
0.33
unhealthy air quality days per year
U.S. Average: 16.52
Around the National Average
Near-roadway pollution
19%
of people are exposed
U.S. Average: 13%
Around the National Average
Local industrial pollution
0.01
index from 0 to 311,000
U.S. Average: 0.14
Around the National Average
State and local plans to create age-friendly communities
State barriers to community broadband
Local LGBT anti-discrimination laws
State and Local Smoke-Free Laws
Local multi-hazard mitigation plans
Local government creditworthiness
State and local inclusive design laws
277th
/302
in Affordability Rankings
Income inequality
0.53
inequality (from 0 to 1)
U.S. Average: 0.47
Around the National Average
Jobs per worker
0.87
jobs per person
U.S. Average: 0.77
Around the National Average
State minimum wage increase
State and local housing trust funds
State foreclosure prevention and protection
Senior Living Options in Boston
$0
Average Cost of Nursing Homes (9 communities)
$578,758 U.S. Average
Around the National Average
$3,966
Average Cost of Assisted Living (3 communities)
$4,000 U.S. Average
Around the National Average
$0
Average Cost of Adult Day Care (8 communities)
$3,732 U.S. Average
Around the National Average
$5,000
Average Cost of Independent Living (2 communities)
$2,709 U.S. Average
Around the National Average
$4,000
Average Cost of Memory Care (4 communities)
$4,999 U.S. Average
Around the National Average
Key Findings in Boston
Overall
Health Care
Senior Living & Housing
Community Involvement
Transportation
Quality Of Life
Affordability
Overall
Caring.com’s team of researchers spent countless hours researching 70 different factors that are key indicators for older adults overall health, happiness, and quality of life. After completing our research, we put each metric on a scale and graded each state in the nation. Read more about the metrics we used to grade your state by clicking on each category.
Health Care
For the Health Care category, our team of researchers looked at seven main metrics. These metrics cover a variety of data points related to health care, such as how many primary care physicians, dentists, mental health professionals and other physicians there are in the state per 100,000 people. Other metrics we looked at include the rate of patient satisfaction and preventable hospitalization.
Senior Living & Housing
To get an accurate picture of how affordable and available suitable housing is for seniors in every state, our team of researchers considered six key metrics. To get an accurate picture of housing prices for seniors, the comparative cost of housing in the state was adjusted to take into account the average income in the state. Additionally, we factored in the availability of subsidized housing, multi-family homes and homes with no-step entrances.
Community Involvement
The Community Involvement category was used to gauge the level of opportunity seniors have for engagement and involvement in their communities. There were three main metrics we used in this category that covered how involved seniors are in their government (voting), how often they volunteer and the programs/clubs that facilitate social opportunities.
Transportation
Our Transportation category is used to examine how senior-friendly the transportation system in each state is. We researched a variety of metrics to make this determination, including data points such as crash rates, household transportation costs and the frequency and availability of local transit services.
Quality Of Life
With 18 individual metrics, our Quality of Life category is the broadest topic we covered. In it, we measure how much access seniors have to activities and services that enrich their lives, such as libraries, parks, grocery stores and farmers markets. Other wellness indicators are also examined, including obesity prevalence, water quality, air quality and amount of pollution.
Affordability
The final group of metrics we researched focuses on the income opportunities and earning potential for older adults in the state. Overall, we looked at three metrics that covered topics such as the rate of income inequality in the area, and how many jobs per worker are available.
To learn more about our process, read about why each facet of our methodology is important, and what role it plays in determining the overall opportunity that seniors have to enjoy a healthy and happy lifestyle. While we did include the obvious factors, such as affordability and health care available, we expanded the usefulness of our report by taking a deep dive into more nuanced indicators, such as the availability of museums and parks, the quality of the transportation system, and the amount of air and water pollution.
Select a category on the right to learn more.
Health Care
Senior Living & Housing
Community Involvement
Transportation
Quality Of Life
Affordability
Health Care
The quality and availability of health care are of primary importance to many demographics, but it’s especially vital for older adults. When it comes to the overall quality of living in an area, health care places a huge role in determining how happy and healthy seniors are. This is the first and most important category we researched for each state.
One of the major barriers seniors face to enjoying their retirement is budget concerns, namely insufficient savings and monthly income. Affordable and accessible housing is one of the biggest budget concerns for seniors, so states and areas that have an abundance of well-priced, senior-friendly homes provide a greater opportunity for a higher quality of life.
It’s important for seniors well-being and health to remain active and involved in their community, but they can’t do so without quality government and non-profit programs that are well run and targeted to the population of seniors with less opportunities. Overall, we created this group of metrics to gauge older adults’ opportunities for social and civic engagement.
Since many seniors are unable to drive – either due to the cost of vehicles or because of disabilities/medical concerns. Since many are not able to afford private transportation (such as taxi’s or ridesharing services), the availability of public transportation to get to and from activities, employment, errands and doctor visits is a key indicator in overall quality of life.
As our broadest category, Quality of Life measures numerous factors that contribute to the access and opportunity seniors have for an active, vibrant life. Not only is it important for older adults to have access to enriching activities such as museums and libraries, it’s also vital for them to live in an environment free from an overabundance of things like air and water pollution.
While some older adults have the luxury of being completely retired and not having to earn any more money after they reach the age of 65, many other seniors turn to part-time jobs to make ends meet. Therefore, it was important for us to factor in the earning potential for seniors in the state.