Best and worst places for senior living in Iowa.
Select a State to Compare
Iowa
State Scorecard
Overall
Health Care
Senior Living & Housing
Transportation
Quality Of Life
Affordability
With a low cost of living and no tax on Social Security income, Iowa has a lot to offer retirees. More than 525,000 seniors call the Hawkeye State home, and many enjoy high-quality health care from some of the top hospitals in the Midwest. Retirees with an interest in higher education can take senior-specific classes from the state’s two flagship universities, Iowa and Iowa State. Iowa’s Driftless area near Decorah offers over 100 miles of top mountain bike trails, while anglers can purchase a low-cost lifetime fishing pass to fish anywhere in the state. Seniors with an interest in city living will gravitate toward Des Moines, as the state capital features a walkable downtown, many restaurants and several senior discounts.
To help seniors discover the most senior-friendly locations around the country, Caring.com conducted a new study, “The Best and Worst Places for Senior Living.” The Caring Senior Living Report analyzes and ranks 300 cities and 50 states on the quality of senior living in that area. The cities were graded using 46 metrics across five categories: Health Care, Senior Living & Housing, Affordability, Quality of life, and Transportation.
56,273 sq mi
$184 billion
$30,865
41%
3,145,711
85%
National Rankings in Iowa
In order to find the states that are most friendly to seniors and offer the highest quality of life, Caring.com’s 2022 Senior Living Report graded every state in the U.S. across five different categories, using 46 individual metrics. Below you can see how Iowa compared to the rest of the nation.
Overall
Health Care
Senior Living & Housing
Transportation
Quality Of Life
Affordability
Overall
Health Care
Senior Living & Housing
Transportation
Quality Of Life
Affordability
in Overall Rankings
in Health Care Rankings
State expansion of the Family and Medical Leave Act
in Senior Living & Housing Rankings
State and local TOD programs
State utility disconnection policies
State energy efficiency scorecard
State manufactured housing protections
in Transportation Rankings
State and local Complete Streets policies
State human services transportation coordination
State volunteer driver policies
in Quality Of Life Rankings
State and local plans to create age-friendly communities
State barriers to community broadband
Local LGBT anti-discrimination laws
State and Local Smoke-Free Laws
Local multi-hazard mitigation plans
Local government creditworthiness
State and local inclusive design laws
in Affordability Rankings
State minimum wage increase
State and local housing trust funds
State foreclosure prevention and protection
Senior Living Options in Iowa
$22,215 U.S. Average
Around the National Average$29,968 U.S. Average
Around the National Average$4,000 U.S. Average
Around the National Average$4,461 U.S. Average
Around the National Average$3,140 U.S. Average
Around the National Average$5,995 U.S. Average
Around the National AverageOverall
Caring.com’s team of researchers spent countless hours researching 46 different factors that are key indicators for older adults overall health, happiness, and quality of life. After completing our research, we put each metric on a scale and graded each state in the nation. Read more about the metrics we used to grade your state by clicking on each category.
Health Care
For the Health Care category, our team of researchers looked at seven main metrics. These metrics cover a variety of data points related to health care, such as how many primary care physicians, dentists, mental health professionals and other physicians there are in the state per 100,000 people. Other metrics we looked at include the rate of patient satisfaction and preventable hospitalization.
Senior Living & Housing
To get an accurate picture of how affordable and available suitable housing is for seniors in every state, our team of researchers considered six key metrics. To get an accurate picture of housing prices for seniors, the comparative cost of housing in the state was adjusted to take into account the average income in the state. Additionally, we factored in the availability of subsidized housing, multi-family homes and homes with no-step entrances.
Transportation
Our Transportation category is used to examine how senior-friendly the transportation system in each state is. We researched a variety of metrics to make this determination, including data points such as crash rates, household transportation costs and the frequency and availability of local transit services.
Quality Of Life
With 18 individual metrics, our Quality of Life category is the broadest topic we covered. In it, we measure how much access seniors have to activities and services that enrich their lives, such as libraries, parks, grocery stores and farmers markets. Other wellness indicators are also examined, including obesity prevalence, water quality, air quality and amount of pollution.
Affordability
The final group of metrics we researched focuses on the income opportunities and earning potential for older adults in the state. Overall, we looked at three metrics that covered topics such as the rate of income inequality in the area, and how many jobs per worker are available.
Best Cities
Key Findings
Overall
Health Care
Senior Living & Housing
Transportation
Quality Of Life
Affordability
BACK
Best Cities
Why did we choose these metrics?
To learn more about our process, read about why each facet of our methodology is important, and what role it plays in determining the overall opportunity that seniors have to enjoy a healthy and happy lifestyle. While we did include the obvious factors, such as affordability and health care available, we expanded the usefulness of our report by taking a deep dive into more nuanced indicators, such as the availability of museums and parks, the quality of the transportation system, and the amount of air and water pollution.
Select a category on the right to learn more.
The quality and availability of health care are of primary importance to many demographics, but they are especially vital for older adults. When it comes to the overall quality of living in an area, health care places a huge role in determining how happy and healthy seniors are. This metric was given the second-highest weight and makes up about one-fourth of the overall score.
View the full methodology
With housing shortages becoming more common around the nation, a valid reason for older adults to move is the availability of quality, accessible housing that will meet their needs both now and in the future. This category made up about 15% of the final score. The four metrics in this group rate how available suitable housing is for seniors in a given area.
View the full methodology
Many seniors are unable to drive – either due to the cost of vehicles or because of disabilities/medical concerns. Since many are not able to afford private transportation (such as taxis or ridesharing services), the availability of public transportation to get to and from activities, employment, errands and doctor visits is a key indicator in overall quality of life.
View the full methodology
As our broadest category, Quality of Life measures numerous factors that contribute to the access and opportunity seniors have for an active, vibrant life. Not only is it important for older adults to have access to enriching activities such as museums and libraries, it’s also vital for them to live in an environment free from an overabundance of things like air and water pollution.
View the full methodology
Our experts and the seniors we surveyed agree – affordability is a key factor in determining where older adults choose to retire. Because of how important it is to seniors, this group of metrics makes up one-third of the final score. This category measures both the cost of housing, as well as the availability of jobs for seniors that need to supplement their retirement savings and social security.
View the full methodology
