Florida Named Worst State for Aging in Place

While there are over 1.2 million retirees living in assisted living facilities across the nation, many seniors prefer to age in place, or stay at home as they age, rather than moving to a retirement facility.

In early June, Seniorly, a senior living marketplace and resource center, released its list of the safest states for aging in place. As Seniorly noted, in a recent AARP survey, 75 percent of older Americans say they would ideally like to remain in their homes. And that’s why “Seniorly broke down which states are doing it right—and which ones need to catch up—so that older adults and their families can make informed choices about where they’ll call ‘home’ in the long haul.” 

To figure out which states are best for aging in place, and which ones can do better, the site looked at data across 10 categories, including the risk of isolation, home health care quality, home health aide availability, emergency care timeliness, smart home adoption, housing costs, road safety, local walkability, food delivery access, and weather hazards.

After analyzing its findings, Seniorly made a surprising finding: Florida, often touted as a retirement haven, is the worst state in the nation for aging in place. 

“Despite its reputation as a haven for retirees, Florida ranks last due to limited access to home health aides (50 seniors per aide) along with a high housing cost burden, as 30.7 percent of older homeowners spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing,” Seniorly reported. “Florida’s 53 inches of annual precipitation also contributes to its low score in weather safety.” 

There were, however, some areas where Florida performed quite well. 

“Just 39.5 percent of older adults live alone, ranking it 8th nationally, and 20.6 percent of home health agencies earned a 4.5 or 5-star rating from CMS, placing it 13th,” the website added. 

As for the other end of the spectrum, Utah ranked as the best state in the U.S. for aging in place. It won thanks to its low risk of social isolation, with Seniorly noting that only about one-third of seniors live alone. “Weather is also a plus, with just 10.1 inches of annual precipitation (No. 3), reducing the risk of weather-related hazards,” it added.

Other top states to consider if you wish to age in place include North Dakota at No. 2, followed by New Jersey (third), Idaho (fourth), and Texas (fifth).

See how your state ranked at seniorly.com.