The Best Communities in Essex County, MA

Essex County is the third-most populous county in Massachusetts with 785,205 residents and is located in the northeastern part of the state. Of these residents, 16.6 percent of them are aged 65 or over and some need care for dementia. In Massachusetts as a whole, 130,000 residents have Alzheimer's disease, and this number is expected to grow by 15.4 percent to 150,000 by the year 2025.

The need for adequate memory care facilities is important in every Massachusetts county, and Essex County is no exception; it has 16 memory care facilities, called Dementia Special Care Units (DSCUs), to serve its residents with memory impairments. 

• The weather in Essex County is generally pleasant. The area enjoys four distinct seasons a year and is located on the North Shore of Massachusetts. There are an average of 201 sunny days a year in Essex County, and the average July high is 82 degrees. Winters may be challenging. The coldest time of the year is in January, when the average low is around 16, but can get colder. Residents of memory care facilities can enjoy their favorite indoor activities during the winter months.
• Memory care residents can feel relatively safe living in Essex County. On a scale of one (low crime) to 100 (high crime), Essex County is at 36.8 for violent crime and 35.9 for property crime. These are right around Boston-Cambridge-Newton Metro averages of 34.2 for violent crime and 34.5 for property crime.
• Massachusetts is considered to be moderately tax-friendly to retirees. The state fully exempts Social Security income and public pension funds, but the state does tax private pensions and other retirement accounts, including withdrawals from a 401k and IRA, at the state rate of 5.1 percent.
• Essex County is home to world-class medical facilities, including those specializing in brain health and dementia care such as Beverly Hospital in Beverly, MA, in the event of medical emergencies or illness.

Memory Care costs in Essex County start around $8,287 per month on average, while the nationwide average cost of memory care is $5,694 per month.

It’s important to note that memory care rates in Essex County and the surrounding suburbs can vary widely based on factors such as location, the level of care needed, apartment size and the types of amenities offered at each community.

Learn more about these programs, plus who’s eligible, on our Memory Care in Massachusetts page.

While many families use their own funds or personal assets to pay for memory care, there are plenty of additional options to cover these costs. Some additional ways to finance memory care costs include:

• Veterans Benefits
• Life Insurance Policy
• Long-Term Care Insurance
• Reverse Mortgage

For more information about different ways to finance memory care, visit our Memory Care in Massachusetts page.

Essex County-area memory care communities must adhere to the comprehensive set of state laws and regulations that all memory care communities in Massachusetts are required to follow. Visit our Memory Care in Massachusetts page for more information about these laws.