There are blue skies for the grays of the tristate.
Living out one’s golden years in New Jersey and New York is as good as gold, reveals a new ranking that rates both East Coast Edens in the top five best states for growing old in the US.
The twilight life tastes sweeter in the Garden State and the Big Apple — even if the air is a bit sour.
As the spunky spitfires of Generation X turn 60 this year, and the silver foxes of the Baby Boomers relish the revelries of retirement, researchers for Nursa, a healthcare staffing platform, to determine the most idyllic, affordable and healthy hotspots for folks to call home as they mature.
To laud specific locales the “best,” and less picturesque places the “worst,” analysts created the “Aging Well in America Index,” a roster grading each state on its population of residents age 75 and up, as well as its number of nursing homes, nurses and hospital beds.
Air quality, life expectancy, walkability and sunlight exposure were also key factors in the ranking.
The insiders calculated the percentages from each category and assigned all 50 states a final score based on a 1-to-10 grading scale (10 representing the highest score).
Hawaii, buxom with lush landscapes, warm weather and the best-rated nursing homes nationwide, earned the crown as the No. 1 state for growing old.
“Hawaiians have the longest life expectancy in the US, at 80 years, and the state is home to the second largest population aged 75 [and olde] at 9.95% of all Hawaiians,” wrote the study authors. “Hawaii is world-renowned for its natural beauty, with plenty of volcanoes, rainforests, and beaches offering endless outdoor activities, keeping its residents active and healthy.”
The Aloha State boasts the second best air quality score at 27.3 out of 500 — meaning there’s virtually no air pollution that poses health risks, per the US Environmental Protection Agency — and has the second fewest number of days with unhealthy air.
“Hawaii also has the most sun exposure at 4,593 kilojoules per square meter (KJ/m2) helping residents get vitamin D,” noted the experts, citing reports on the benefits of sunlight, including immune system support and prorations against viral infections such as COVID-19.
“There are 4,248 nursing home beds in the state, and with an average rating of 3.59 out of 5, they are the best-rated nursing homes in the US,” said the specialists, singing Hawaii’s praises.
Florida landed the second in the hierarchy, owing to its large community of senior citizens, cozy climate, cost-friendly healthcare, nursing home and assisted living facilities, and a life expectancy rate of nearly 78-years-old.
But New Jersey shined as No. 3 in the country, flaunting a life expectancy of 79.6 years. Unfavorable weather conditions, a shortage of nurses and an unpredictable air quality index — especially in the wake of Canada’s wildfire, which turned NJ’s sunny skies to a sepia gray last week — precluded the state from taking the gold or silver medals in the running.
Still, its walkability, plus its abundance of nursing homes and beds, afforded NYC’s plucky little neighbor the bronze honors.
New York came in fifth place, trailing Massachusetts, which took the fourth position.
Here, in the Empire State, residents live the fourth longest at 79.5 years, according to the findings. New York also has the third most nursing home beds, and is the fifth most walkable state from coast-to-coast.
Unfortunately, the home of the concrete jungle possesses a low air quality index and a high count of predicated days with unhealthy air quality. In fact, the smoke from recent Canadian catastrophe made breathing the air in and around Gotham as toxic as puffing 10 whole cigarettes.
The heath threat notwithstanding, New York outranked more provincial, stereotypically scenic states on the list of best places to grown old, including Virginia, Rhode Island, Nebraska, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, Connecticut, Utah and Minnesota.
Mississippi was deemed the worst state for aging.
The investigators found that Mississippians lead the second shortest lives at 72.6 years, live in the least walkable state and have low-rated nursing homes.
Oklahoma, New Mexico, Georgia and Michigan all rounded out the top 5 worst roundup.
Check out the list of top 15 best states for growing old.
- Hawaii
- Florida
- New Jersey
- Massachusetts
- New York
- Virginia
- Rhode Island
- Nebraska
- Oregon
- Washington
- Montana
- Idaho
- Connecticut
- Utah
- Minnesota
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