Best Cities for Successful Aging | New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA
NO.
5
SCORE: 98.49
FOR AGES 65-79
NO. 3
SCORE: 97.19
FOR AGES 80+
NO. 2
SCORE: 99.96

Percent of Population 65+:  13.08%
Population 65+:  2,473,464
Total Population:  18,897,109

Indicator Rank Score Average
Score		 Percent
+/-
General 45 80.22 80.46 -.30 %
Health Care 24 74.24 67.16 10.54 %
Wellness 9 87.81 79.9 9.90 %
Financial 91 69.88 76.35 -8.47 %
Employment 4 90.28 70.34 28.35 %
Living Arrangements 76 54.94 60.39 -9.02 %
Transportation 1 100.00 64.04 56.15 %
Community Engagement 33 79.72 75.94 4.98 %
(Three-tier color code: 1-25 Green, 26-75 Black, 76+ Red)

Nailed It: Nailed It!


Superb connectivity to amenities
  • It's no surprise that this transit-accessible metro ranks first in number of passenger trips per capita.
  • Cultural enrichment opportunities include world-class museums, religious institutions, art and entertainment venues, etc.
Job opportunities
  • Unemployment is low among 65+ residents. A relatively large service sector improves seniors' chances of securing jobs.
  • The area has a strong fiscal base and ranks high in bank deposits per capita.

Needs Work: Needs Work

A pricy place to be
  • The poverty rate among those older than 65 is high.
  • The cost of living and tax burden are considerable.
  • Despite all that public transit, fares are high and commute times significant.

Take Away:

Greater New York hosts two of the Top 20 hospitals in the U.S. Despite being the nation's financial capital, it did poorly in the financial category because of high taxes and many seniors facing financial distress. If you can afford to live there, the area has all the big-city amenities—and all the negatives, too.
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General Indicators

General
Indicators
Indicator Rank Score Average
Score
Cost of Living 95 28.57 52.04
Crime Rate 3 79.76 48.86
Neighborhood (binge drinking) 28 28.57 25.92
Employee Growth 27 88.07 86.26
Unemployment Rate 42 58.05 56.59
Income Distribution 99 76.59 85.97
Weather 60 45.54 54.23
Fatal Car Crashes 9 71.20 44.54

Financial Indicators

Financial
Indicators
Indicator Rank Score Average
Score
Number of banks and financial institutions 12 44.57 37.01
Total bank deposits 6 22.81 11.03
Tax burden 92 43.50 69.32
Dependency Ratio 27 87.44 83.27
Index Growth of Small Businesses (2004-2009) 68 82.56 84.36
% of 65+ below poverty 94 45.97 66.99
Capital Gains as % of AGI 33 59.94 56.30
Indexed Income Growth 52 86.11 86.58
Amount of Reverse Mortgages 93 1.75 8.09

Transportation Indicators

Transportation
Indicators
Indicator Rank Score Average
Score
Mean Commute Time to Work 99 58.68 80.22
Number of Passenger Trips 1 100.00 10.2
Mean Fare for 65+ 97 5.71 21.3
Investment in Public/Senior Transportation 44 82.37 81.71
Number of Grocery, etc. 1 100.00 52.72
% of Households with Proximity to Grocery 8 99.43 98.15

Community Engagement Indicators

Community
Engagement
Indicators
Indicator Rank Score Average
Score
% of Population over 65 31 49.86 46.92
Number of Museums, cultural, etc. 5 62.13 42.00
Senior Volunteer Rates 64 51.64 59.21
Number of Public Libraries 51 32.08 35.40
Number of YMCAs 67 14.83 31.40
Funding for Seniors 7 96.92 92.18

Employment Indicators

Employment/
Education
Indicators
Indicator Rank Score Average
Score
Number 65+ Employed 34 67.83 65.21
65+ Unemployment Rate 1 100.00 9.53
Employment growth in health,education,leisure and hospitality 66 82.67 84.62
Output of service/manufacturing 5 56.91 22.93
College Enrollment 62 51.92 55.18
Community Colleges 80 15.34 30.92
Number of Universities 52 30.27 32.42

Housing Indicators

Living
Arrangements
Indicators
Indicator Rank Score Average
Score
Median House Price 97 17.10 42.74
Median Rental Price 69 14.24 17.69
% of Houses with 65+ Residents 19 61.75 56.03
Number of Nursing Beds 38 25.15 26.11
Median Price Semi-Private Nursing Room 89 46.43 68.25
Number of People Providing Home health-care services 8 15.23 9.44
Continuing Care Facilities 100 6.60 20.33
Assisted Living Cost 88 57.53 67.41
Nursing-home rating 21 64.27 51.79

Medical Indicators

Health-Care
Indicators
Indicator Rank Score Average
Score
Number of Doctors 8 77.29 54.29
Availability of Hospital Beds 31 37.31 33.63
% of Hospitals with JCAHO Accreditation 35 67.36 62.38
Expenses per Inpatient Day 59 62.26 64.99
Number of Long-Term Hospitals 47 21.06 22.77
% of Hospitals with Geriatric Services 51 31.65 33.86
% of Hospitals with Rehabilitation Services 88 25.28 41.03
% of Hospitals with Alzheimer's Units 36 9.17 9.93
% of Hospitals with Hospice 43 28.62 29.78
% of Hospitals with Medical School Affiliation 22 62.26 41.59
% of Magnet Hospitals 31 12.95 10.73
Number of Orthopedic Surgeons 39 66.39 60.58
Number of Mental Health Professionals 22 32.96 25.48
Number of Dialysis Centers 85 17.79 34.28
Number of MRI 22 63.00 50.91
Number of Service Professionals (Nurses) 67 53.19 59.46
Number of Physical Therapists 32 72.78 62.79

Wellness Indicators

Wellness
Indicators
Indicator Rank Score Average
Score
Medicare Enrollment 40 92.83 91.06
Medicaid Eligible 90 47.12 65.49
Obesity Rate 21 50.62 46.06
Smoking Rate 13 64.57 48.92
Diabetes Rate 50 66.70 67.33
Alzheimer's Cases 44 65.91 63.45
Number of Caregivers 50 71.49 71.91
Life Expectancy at 65 15 88.52 82.99
% of Seniors Living in Family Households 62 79.91 81.69
% of Older Americans with frequent mental distress 71 37.84 45.03
% of Older Americans with no physical activity 32 71.19 68.96
% Walking to Work 1 100.00 38.51
Number of Fitness Centers 12 63.37 51.2
Number of fast food outlets 89 36.75 47.3
Soda Consumption 5 92.23 77.77
Number of Golf courses, skiing, marinas, bowling 71 28.20 37.77