Top-scoring mid-sized cities on AARP’s 2022 Livability Index
AARP’s Public Policy Institute has launched its updated AARP Livability Index, a comprehensive, web-based tool that scores every neighborhood and community in the United States and the District of Columbia for the services and amenities that affect people’s lives the most as they age.
The index scores livability by using more than 50 national data sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau American Communities Survey, to measure 61 community characteristics across seven categories: housing, neighborhood, transportation, environment, health, engagement and opportunity. Users can search the index by address, ZIP code or community to find overall or categorical scores, identify challenges in their community and compare their neighborhood to others.
The Livability Index first launched in 2015. The 2022 Index includes accessory dwelling units (ADUs, also known as in-law suites or guest houses). According to the AARP, as housing costs rise and home options remain limited, ADUs are a viable and affordable housing solution for people of all ages. Currently, nine states and the District of Columbia have passed statewide ADU legislation.
Also new to this Index is a look at the top-scoring “small towns” with populations between 5,000 to 24,999.
“The majority of older adults want to stay in their current homes and communities as they age, which requires walkable neighborhoods, public transportation options, opportunities to engage in community activities, and affordable and adaptable housing,” Rodney Harrell, PhD, AARP vice president of family, home and community, said in a statement. “The AARP Livability Index provides the clearest picture yet of how well a community meets needs across one’s lifespan, regardless of income, physical ability or ethnicity.”
Among the top-scoring large cities (population 500,00+) are San Francisco, New York, Boston, Denver, Seattle and Philadelphia. To see the top-scoring mid-sized U.S. cities (population 100,000-499,999) according to the AARP Livability Index, click through the gallery above.
