Best Cities for Successful Aging | Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh, PA
NO.
10
SCORE: 95.99
FOR AGES 65-79
NO. 10
SCORE: 93.88
FOR AGES 80+
NO. 13
SCORE: 96.43

Percent of Population 65+:  17.27%
Population 65+:  407,082
Total Population:  2,356,285

Indicator Rank Score Average
Score		 Percent
+/-
General 22 83.68 80.46 4.00 %
Health Care 33 72.78 67.16 8.37 %
Wellness 25 83.43 79.9 4.42 %
Financial 59 75.04 76.35 -1.72 %
Employment 6 82.08 70.34 16.69 %
Living Arrangements 44 60.54 60.39 0.25 %
Transportation 13 69.02 64.04 7.78 %
Community Engagement 7 93.31 75.94 22.87 %
(Three-tier color code: 1-25 Green, 26-75 Black, 76+ Red)

Nailed It: Nailed It!


Safe and affordable
  • Pittsburgh is an inexpensive place to live.
  • Its crime rate is relatively low.
Highly engaged community
  • It has an abundance of fitness and recreational facilities, including YMCAs.
  • Seniors can connect with their peers, thanks to a large concentration of 65+ residents.
  • Many community colleges are available for education and retraining.

Needs Work: Needs Work

Unhealthy practices and living arrangements
  • The obesity rate for seniors is among the worst for large metros.
  • Despite a high number of fitness centers, most seniors are not physically active.
  • Pittsburgh has a high incidence of binge drinking.
  • It ranks 94th out of 100 in the share of seniors caring for children.

Take Away:

Top-tier education and research centers, museums and libraries, safe and affordable neighborhoods, and significant community engagement make Pittsburgh a suitable place for seniors. Although opportunities for education and retraining are available, this metro lacks mom-and-pop entrepreneurial activities.
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General Indicators

General
Indicators
Indicator Rank Score Average
Score
Cost of Living 7 75.84 52.04
Crime Rate 10 71.27 48.86
Neighborhood (binge drinking) 82 75.84 25.92
Employee Growth 28 87.93 86.26
Unemployment Rate 26 64.28 56.59
Income Distribution 66 84.28 85.97
Weather 93 36.88 54.23
Fatal Car Crashes 44 43.25 44.54

Financial Indicators

Financial
Indicators
Indicator Rank Score Average
Score
Number of banks and financial institutions 38 38.64 37.01
Total bank deposits 14 14.71 11.03
Tax burden 62 63.92 69.32
Dependency Ratio 67 81.87 83.27
Index Growth of Small Businesses (2004-2009) 87 80.27 84.36
% of 65+ below poverty 63 62.23 66.99
Capital Gains as % of AGI 57 46.26 56.30
Indexed Income Growth 29 87.73 86.58
Amount of Reverse Mortgages 12 14.39 8.09

Transportation Indicators

Transportation
Indicators
Indicator Rank Score Average
Score
Mean Commute Time to Work 63 75.75 80.22
Number of Passenger Trips 24 12.44 10.2
Mean Fare for 65+ 1 100.00 21.3
Investment in Public/Senior Transportation 78 77.66 81.71
Number of Grocery, etc. 31 56.88 52.72
% of Households with Proximity to Grocery 79 97.28 98.15

Community Engagement Indicators

Community
Engagement
Indicators
Indicator Rank Score Average
Score
% of Population over 65 6 65.26 46.92
Number of Museums, cultural, etc. 47 40.79 42.00
Senior Volunteer Rates 28 62.56 59.21
Number of Public Libraries 24 43.00 35.40
Number of YMCAs 10 77.45 31.40
Funding for Seniors 15 95.40 92.18

Employment Indicators

Employment/
Education
Indicators
Indicator Rank Score Average
Score
Number 65+ Employed 44 64.39 65.21
65+ Unemployment Rate 17 15.68 9.53
Employment growth in health,education,leisure and hospitality 88 80.55 84.62
Output of service/manufacturing 34 22.58 22.93
College Enrollment 56 52.35 55.18
Community Colleges 3 85.43 30.92
Number of Universities 32 35.18 32.42

Housing Indicators

Living
Arrangements
Indicators
Indicator Rank Score Average
Score
Median House Price 16 55.81 42.74
Median Rental Price 14 20.96 17.69
% of Houses with 65+ Residents 10 68.64 56.03
Number of Nursing Beds 31 29.80 26.11
Median Price Semi-Private Nursing Room 80 54.47 68.25
Number of People Providing Home health-care services 68 6.45 9.44
Continuing Care Facilities 31 22.14 20.33
Assisted Living Cost 62 65.20 67.41
Nursing-home rating 88 35.96 51.79

Medical Indicators

Health-Care
Indicators
Indicator Rank Score Average
Score
Number of Doctors 35 59.96 54.29
Availability of Hospital Beds 11 42.77 33.63
% of Hospitals with JCAHO Accreditation 71 54.35 62.38
Expenses per Inpatient Day 41 65.57 64.99
Number of Long-Term Hospitals 31 30.30 22.77
% of Hospitals with Geriatric Services 36 36.83 33.86
% of Hospitals with Rehabilitation Services 47 39.79 41.03
% of Hospitals with Alzheimer's Units 19 19.64 9.93
% of Hospitals with Hospice 29 39.73 29.78
% of Hospitals with Medical School Affiliation 65 32.97 41.59
% of Magnet Hospitals 57 6.52 10.73
Number of Orthopedic Surgeons 49 61.82 60.58
Number of Mental Health Professionals 49 21.47 25.48
Number of Dialysis Centers 21 45.05 34.28
Number of MRI 33 58.36 50.91
Number of Service Professionals (Nurses) 27 68.25 59.46
Number of Physical Therapists 28 75.86 62.79

Wellness Indicators

Wellness
Indicators
Indicator Rank Score Average
Score
Medicare Enrollment 1 100.00 91.06
Medicaid Eligible 34 71.73 65.49
Obesity Rate 81 40.34 46.06
Smoking Rate 34 49.35 48.92
Diabetes Rate 55 65.58 67.33
Alzheimer's Cases 25 75.05 63.45
Number of Caregivers 75 65.51 71.91
Life Expectancy at 65 70 79.70 82.99
% of Seniors Living in Family Households 94 74.68 81.69
% of Older Americans with frequent mental distress 25 48.28 45.03
% of Older Americans with no physical activity 83 59.07 68.96
% Walking to Work 12 59.87 38.51
Number of Fitness Centers 10 66.43 51.2
Number of fast food outlets 65 42.50 47.3
Soda Consumption 41 80.33 77.77
Number of Golf courses, skiing, marinas, bowling 19 50.27 37.77