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Top 100 Places to Live in the U.S. for Older Adults

Using indicators important to people of all ages, AARP’s Livability Index platform ranks America’s most livable communities

By

Suzette Lohmeyer,

 
AARP
Comments
Published October 10, 2024
Residential street with Victorian style apartment buildings on a sunny day, San Francisco
San Francisco, California
Getty Images

Where are the best places to live in the U.S. if you’re a 50-plus adult? According to AARP’s annual Livability Index, the most livable communities, separated into four categories based on population size, are:

  • Very large: San Francisco
  • Large: Arlington, Virginia
  • Medium: Cliffside Park, New Jersey
  • Small: Great Neck Plaza, New York.

What criteria make for a great place to live? The report considers the essentials, such as accessibility to quality medical care, grocery stores and affordable housing. There are also aspects of an area such as social and cultural opportunities, access to exercise, walkability and easy and affordable transportation options.

The index is designed so people of any age can use it, says Rodney Harrell, AARP vice president of family, home and community, and one of the website’s creators, but this list incorporates the needs of older adults into the concept of what makes a good community.

One thing to keep in mind, Harrell says: There is no one perfect community. “We love to celebrate communities that are doing well, but we also can’t forget that every place has challenges that they should address. Housing costs, transportation choices and other concerns impact communities across the country, including those in the top 100.” ​

San Francisco, for example, got the overall top spot, as well as first in its category for the fifth time, but the city is nowhere near flawless. The area has struggled with housing affordability and a homelessness crisis for years; however, it excels in areas such as health access, convenient and safe transportation and places to socialize and engage.

Here are the top 100 communities: Very large | Large | Medium | Small

The very best, very large communities: Population 500,000 and up 

San Francisco
San Francisco, California
Getty Images

Along with San Francisco, the very large communities that performed well ranked high for having the essentials, including grocery stores and parks, close to where people live. They also were recognized for their lively, engaged neighborhoods. San Francisco took the lead spot for the fifth time. Newcomers include Hudson County, New Jersey; Bergen County, New Jersey; Washington, D.C.; and Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

  1. San Francisco
  2. Ramsey, Minnesota
  3. Hudson, New Jersey
  4. Dane, Wisconsin
  5. New York City
  6. Montgomery County, Maryland
  7. Boston
  8. Seattle
  9. Fairfax, Virginia
  10. Hennepin, Minnesota
  11. Portland, Oregon
  12. Bergen, New Jersey
  13. Multnomah, Oregon
  14. Nassau, New York
  15. Hempstead, New York
  16. Denver
  17. Salt Lake, Utah
  18. Philadelphia
  19. Washington, D.C.
  20. Washington, Oregon
  21. San Mateo, California
  22. Union, New Jersey
  23. Delaware, Pennsylvania
  24. Johnson, Kansas
  25. Alameda, California

Living large in large communities: Population 100,000 to 499,999

Arlington Virginia
Arlington, Virginia
Getty Images

How livable is your community?

Click here for our searchable database of communities across the U.S.

Engagement (opportunities to connect with people and organizations in a community as well as internet access), transportation (affordable, safe and easy ways to access the area around you) and health (quality care and places to foster healthy behavior) were the main drivers of which large communities made the list. 

The top spot went to Arlington, Virginia. One of the big factors for Arlington: access to places to exercise. Other communities: Allentown, Pennsylvania, got marks for housing and transportation, and on the other side of the U.S., Provo, Utah, made the grade for engagement, health and transportation.

  1. Arlington, Virginia
  2. Cambridge, Massachusetts
  3. Madison, Wisconsin
  4. Rochester, Minnesota
  5. St. Paul, Minnesota
  6. Salt Lake City
  7. Minneapolis
  8. Alexandria, Virginia
  9. Lincoln, Nebraska
  10. Boulder, Colorado
  11. Chittenden, Vermont
  12. Jersey City, New Jersey
  13. Olmsted, Minnesota
  14. Sioux Falls, South Dakota
  15. Lancaster, Nebraska
  16. Ann Arbor, Michigan
  17. North Hempstead, New York
  18. Allentown, Pennsylvania
  19. Des Moines, Iowa
  20. Berkeley, California
  21. Cedar Rapids, Iowa
  22. Provo, Utah
  23. Minnehaha, South Dakota
  24. Polk, Iowa
  25. Marin, California
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Magnificent midsize communities: Population 25,000 to 99,999

Cliffside Park New Jersey
Cliffside Park, New Jersey
Alamy

Key destinations such as libraries and parks close to where people live and work helped Cliffside Park, a borough in New Jersey, lead the rankings for midsize communities. The Garden State is proving itself an up-and-comer, taking eight of the 14 newcomer spots on the list. Other communities that made the grade include Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

  1. Cliffside Park, New Jersey
  2. Fort Lee, New Jersey
  3. Portland, Maine
  4. Burlington, Vermont
  5. Union City, New Jersey
  6. West New York, New Jersey
  7. Bergenfield, New Jersey
  8. West Des Moines, Iowa
  9. Brookline, Massachusetts
  10. Somerville, Massachusetts
  11. South Portland, Maine
  12. Hoboken, New Jersey
  13. Bozeman, Montana
  14. St. Louis Park, Minnesota
  15. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
  16. Garfield, New Jersey
  17. Richfield, Minnesota
  18. Rockville, Maryland
  19. Belmont, Massachusetts
  20. Long Beach, New York
  21. Easton, Pennsylvania
  22. Hackensack, New Jersey
  23. Oshkosh, Wisconsin
  24. Arlington, Massachusetts
  25. La Crosse, Wisconsin

Superb small communities: Population 5,000 to 24,999

Great Neck Plaza New York
Great Neck Plaza, New York
Getty Images

Small and mighty, AARP’s top 25 communities with lower populations made the list for being inclusive and welcoming to all people (communities with human rights commissions and nondiscrimination laws), as well as for having a robust social and cultural scene. New York’s Great Neck Plaza got the number one spot, but other states get to brag about having multiple communities that made the grade. Iowa has four communities that made the list (Winterset, Pella, Algona and Knoxville), all of which had high scores in engagement, opportunity and transportation. Others that made the grade: Gunnison, Colorado, and Kasson, Minnesota.

  1. Great Neck Plaza, New York
  2. Aspen, Colorado
  3. Gunnison, Colorado
  4. Montpelier, Vermont
  5. Takoma Park, Maryland
  6. Falls Church, Virginia
  7. Fairview, New Jersey
  8. La Crescent, Minnesota
  9. Winterset, Iowa
  10. Los Alamos, New Mexico
  11. Pella, Iowa
  12. Wilson, Pennsylvania
  13. Kasson, Minnesota
  14. Steamboat Springs, Colorado
  15. Pierre, South Dakota
  16. Winooski, Vermont
  17. Columbia Heights, Minnesota
  18. Williston Park, New York
  19. Algona, Iowa
  20. Salida, Colorado
  21. Knoxville, Iowa
  22. Orange City, Iowa
  23. Hellertown, Pennsylvania
  24. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
  25. New Cumberland, Pennsylvania

How are livability scores determined?

AARP designed its scoring criteria to capture the complexity of what produces a high quality of life for a diverse population.

Metric values and policy points are scored for each of seven livability categories: housing, neighborhood, transportation, environment, health, engagement and opportunity. A location’s total livability score is an average of those seven category scores. For more information on how AARP determined the scores, click here.

Suzette Lohmeyer is the Home, Family and Auto editor for AARP.org. 

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