WASHINGTON—AARP announced today the 100 top-scoring livable communities across the U.S., as part of the 10^th anniversary of the AARP Livability Index™ platform ─ the most comprehensive, web-based tool of its kind that scores every neighborhood and community in all 50 states and the District of Columbia for the services and amenities that improve people’s quality of life.  

While the top-performing communities have various policies in place to promote livability, the data shows that many of the highest scoring communities lack affordable housing and accessibility options, highlighting the need for local leaders to address rising housing costs, insufficient supply of housing options, and growing income inequality.

“People overwhelmingly want to stay in their homes and communities as they age, which requires walkable neighborhoods, affordable and adaptable housing, public transportation options, and opportunities for community engagement,” said Rodney Harrell, PhD, AARP Vice President of Family, Home, and Community. “We encourage communities to use the AARP Livability Index to identify areas for improvement and help create vibrant and welcoming environments for people of all ages.”

The 10 top-scoring communities by population size, in ranking order, are:

• Very large communities (population 500,000+): San Francisco, CA; Montgomery County, MD; Seattle, WA; Ramsey County, MN; Fairfax, VA; New York City, NY; Boston, MA; Nassau County, NY; Portland, OR; and Bergen County, NJ
   
• Large communities (population 100,000-499,999): Arlington, VA; Alexandria, VA; Cambridge, MA; Salt Lake City, UT; St. Paul, MN; Boulder, CO; Minneapolis, MN; North Hempstead, NY; Madison, WI and Chittenden, VT
   
• Mid-size communities (population 25,000-99,999): Cliffside Park, NJ; Fort Lee, NJ; Portland, ME; Burlington, VT; Rockville, MD; Chapel Hill, NC; Somerville, MA; Brookline, MA Harrisburg, PA; and Belmont, MA
   
• Small towns (population 5,000 to 24,999): Great Neck Plaza, NY; Falls Church, VA; Pella, IA; Aspen, CO; Knoxville, IA; Los Alamos County, NM; Takoma Park, MD; Orange City, IA; Salida, CO; Williston Park, NY

Users can search the interactive online tool by address, ZIP code, or community to find an overall or category score, identify challenges in their community and compare their neighborhood to others across performance benchmarks. The updated platform now includes neighborhood-level employment data ─ hiring rates by age, typical earnings, and unemployment levels. It also includes natural hazard risk by displaying each community's FEMA natural hazard risk rating, which shows its relative exposure to 18 types of hazards from floods to earthquakes. While this new data doesn’t contribute to a community’s livability score, it provides a fuller picture to help people understand how their community is doing today.

Launched in 2015, the AARP Livability Index platform scores livability by using more than 50 national data sources, such as the U.S. Census Bureau American Communities Survey, across seven categories: housing, neighborhood, transportation, environment, health, engagement, and opportunity. The tool measures every city, county, and town against 61 indicators of livability, ranging from monthly housing costs to environmental pollution, opportunities for social connections to the presence of age-friendly community plans.

To view the AARP Livability Index or see your community’s score, visit aarp.org/livabilityindex.

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About AARP
AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to the 125 million Americans 50-plus and their families: health and financial security, and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest-circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org/about-aarp/, www.aarp.org/español or follow @AARP, @AARPLatino and @AARPadvocates on social media.