AARP Eye Center
AARP Livability Index™ Top 100
AARP created the AARP Livability Index™ platform as a first of its kind, data-driven, web-based tool that measures every community and neighborhood in the US for the key amenities and services that affect the quality of life for people of all ages in the areas of Housing, Transportation, Neighborhood, Health, Environment, social and civic Engagement, and educational and economic Opportunity.
The platform draws on more than 50 different sources of data to determine which among America’s largest cities to smallest neighborhoods are the top performing livable communities. The tool measures every city, county, and town against 61 indicators of livability, ranging from monthly housing costs to environmental pollution, opportunities for strong social connections to the presence of age-friendly plans.
The following four lists, Very Large, Large, Mid-size, and Small, represent the top performing communities by population size.
AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities
Several of the top scoring communities have made a commitment to becoming more livable over time and joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities (NAFSC). The program encourages states, cities, towns and rural areas to prepare for the rapid aging of the U.S. population by paying increased attention to the environmental, economic and social factors that influence the health and well-being of older adults.
Learn more about joining the network!
The Top 100 Communities
Very Large >
Population:
500,000+Large >
Population:
100,000 to 499,999Mid-Size >
Population:
25,000 to 99,999Small >
Population:
5,000 to 24,999
Community | Overall Livability Score | Population | New Top Performer | NAFSC Member |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. San Francisco, CA City | 851,036 | |||
2. Ramsey, MN County | 63 | 547,202 | ||
3. Hudson, NJ County | 63 | 712,029 | ||
4. Dane, WI County | 63 | 559,891 | ||
5. New York, NY City | 62 | 8,622,467 | ||
6. Montgomery, MD County | 62 | 1,056,910 | ||
7. Boston, MA City | 62 | 665,945 | ||
8. Seattle, WA City | 62 | 734,603 | ||
9. Fairfax, VA County | 62 | 1,145,354 | ||
10. Hennepin, MN County | 62 | 1,270,787 | ||
11. Portland, OR City | 62 | 646,101 | ||
12. Bergen, NJ County | 61 | 953,243 | ||
13. Multnomah, OR County | 61 | 808,098 | ||
14. Nassau, NY County | 61 | 1,389,160 | ||
15. Hempstead, NY County Subdivision | 60 | 789,763 | ||
16. Denver, CO City | 60 | 710,800 | ||
17. Salt Lake, UT County | 60 | 1,180,643 | ||
18. Philadelphia, PA City | 60 | 1,593,208 | ||
19. Washington, DC City | 59 | 670,587 | ||
20. Washington, OR County | 59 | 599,541 | ||
21. San Mateo, CA County | 59 | 754,250 | ||
22. Union, NJ County | 58 | 572,079 | ||
23. Delaware, PA County | 58 | 575,312 | ||
24. Johnson, KS County | 58 | 610,742 | ||
25. Alameda, CA County | 58 | 1,663,823 |