AARP Eye Center
AARP Livability Index Top 100
AARP created the AARP Livability™ 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 AARP Livability Index™ platform is rooted in the fact that where you live matters. Your home, neighborhood, and community impact every aspect of your life—now and well into the future. The Index helps people understand where they live or where they choose to live affects their quality of life--such as their proximity to jobs, family’s access to quality health services, what kind of housing options are available to them, the availability of clean air and water, affordable and accessible transportation, access to nearby park space, and recreational opportunities, to name a few.
The Index 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.
Changes to the Methodology for Determining the Top Performing Communities Lists
AARP updated the method to select the 2023 top-performing communities to include both cities, towns, villages and counties. Places without active governments, are not included.
With this new approach, the lists are more inclusive, recognizing different communities where people actually live across the nation and across the four lists, we can see more geographic diversity throughout.
AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities
Several of the top scoring communities in the AARP Livability Index 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 | 874,784 | |||
2. Ramsey County, MN County | 64 | 546,598 | ||
3. Dane County, WI County | 64 | 542,459 | ||
4. Portland, OR City | 63 | 650,380 | ||
5. Seattle, WA City | 63 | 741,251 | ||
6. Hennepin County, MN County | 62 | 1,255,296 | ||
7. Boston, MA City | 62 | 689,326 | ||
8. Multnomah County, OR County | 62 | 809,869 | ||
9. Salt Lake County, UT County | 62 | 1,146,215 | ||
10. Montgomery County, MD County | 61 | 1,047,661 | ||
11. New York, NY City | 61 | 8,379,552 | ||
12. Nassau County, NY County | 61 | 1,355,683 | ||
13. Hempstead, NY County Subdivision | 61 | 766,765 | ||
14. Fairfax County, VA County | 61 | 1,149,439 | ||
15. Washington County, OR County | 61 | 595,761 | ||
16. Denver, CO City | 59 | 715,878 | ||
17. Alameda County, CA County | 59 | 1,661,584 | ||
18. Austin, TX City | 59 | 965,872 | ||
19. Union County, NJ County | 59 | 555,208 | ||
20. Johnson County, KS County | 59 | 597,574 | ||
21. Wake County, NC County | 58 | 1,091,662 | ||
22. San Jose, CA City | 58 | 1,029,409 | ||
23. Philadelphia, PA City | 58 | 1,581,531 | ||
24. San Mateo County, CA County | 58 | 765,623 | ||
25. Allegheny County, PA County | 58 | 1,218,380 |