Assisted Living Communities in Clarkston, Michigan

Genworth's 2024 Cost of Care Survey notes that assisted living costs $1,100 less than the national midpoint in Clarkston, but expenses vary widely throughout Michigan. Seniors in Detroit's urban center pay a significantly higher median of $5,949 for assisted living, but retirees in Ann Arbor pay a steeper $6,500 rate. In contrast to those locations, seniors save $400 on assisted living moving from Clarkston to Monroe.

While many families use their own funds or personal assets to pay for assisted living, there are plenty of additional options to cover these costs. Some additional ways to finance assisted living costs include:

• Veterans Benefits
• Life Insurance Policy
• Long-Term Care Insurance
• Reverse Mortgage

For more information about different ways to finance assisted living, visit our Assisted Living in Michigan page.

Assisted living costs considerably less than other types of care in Clarkston, with in-home care offering the closest equivalent, both in price and services, at $5,720. Seniors pay $6,548 more than assisted living for a semi-private room in a nursing home, making this option quite costly. Home health care, costing $2,042 more than assisted living, provides another alternative for seniors who need medical support.

Michigan’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Adult Foster Care and Homes for the Aged Licensing Division provides licensing and regulation. The State of Michigan doesn’t license assisted living facilities, but a Home for the Aged license may be required if the facility provides room, board and supervised personal care to 21 or more residents aged 55 or older.

• Michigan has no city, local or county sales taxes, so Clarkston residents only pay 6% state sales tax. However, two larger expenses for aging adults, groceries and prescription drugs, are tax-exempt.
• Michigan imposes a flat income tax rate of 4.25%. Cities can levy additional income taxes, but Clarkston doesn’t. Social Security benefits, military pensions and Railroad Retirement benefits are exempt from state income taxes, but other retirement income may not be. Income from private retirement plans up to $53,759, or $107,517 for couples, is exempt for seniors born before 1946. They can also deduct dividends, interest and capital gains of up to $11,983, or $23,966 for couples. Seniors born between 1946 and 1952 can claim an exemption of up to $20,000, or $40,000 for couples, once they turn 67. Those born after 1952 typically don’t receive any exemptions.
• Clarkston’s overall cost of living is about 12% higher than the national median and 22% higher than the statewide average. However, seniors benefit from lower health care costs, which are more than 18% lower than the national average and almost 5% lower than the statewide median.
• Crime rates in Clarkston are much lower than the national average. These are ranked on a scale of one to 100, with one being the best. The average violent crime rate nationwide is 22.7, while Clarkston’s violent crime rate is 6. Property crime is also lower — the national average is 35.4, and Clarkston has an average of 15.5.
• The McLaren-Clarkston Medical Building provides medical services to Clarkston residents in its state-of-the-art facility. It has a 24-hour emergency center, outpatient health care services, physical therapy, diagnostic imaging and cardiology and stroke services, among others.
• Summers are pleasant in Clarkston with temperatures rarely rising higher than 90 degrees, but it has about 142 days annually when nighttime temperatures drop below freezing. Clarkston receives about 33 inches of snow, and for six months of the year, there’s significant snowfall, including more than 9 inches in January.