Best Cities For Successful Aging in Midwest

Dec. 1, 2014 – Joe Ruggiero SSUSA staff

The top city for in the nation for growing older is Madison, Wisc., according to the Milken Institute’s latest ranking of best places for successful aging.

In a report released Nov. 18, the non-partisan think tank measured and ranked the performance of 352 U.S. metropolitan areas by considering a host of factors for quality of life for older adults. These factors include not only health and wellness, crime rates and weather, but also economic and job conditions, housing, transportation and opportunities for social engagement.

According to AARP, a majority of older Americans want to age at home and not uproot themselves from their communities.

“Our research finds common themes among the top-ranked cities,” said Anusuya Chatterjee, Milken Institute senior economist and one of the authors of the report, in a written release. “These include economic strength, abundance of health resources, active lifestyles, opportunities for intellectual stimulation and access to amenities.”

When it comes to Madison, the institute cited the city’s many cultural amenities, which “attract highbrows and regular folk alike.” Additionally, Madison is home to 11 excellent hospitals, as well as an abundance of recreational and fitness facilities. Despite a high cost of living and too many fast-food restaurants, the report indicates that Madison’s low crime rate, high employment growth, and quality education and intellectual engagement at the University of Wisconsin make it a great community for America’s aging population.

The Milken Institute’s biannual list places emphasis on transportation, wait times at hospitals, and other quality-of-life factors. According to Chatterjee, the idea behind the ranking is not to discover great places to retire, but the cities in which older adults can be engaged both economically and socially as they age.

The Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area that straddles Nebraska and Iowa ranked second, followed by Provo, Utah; Boston and Salt Lake City.

The best smaller metropolitan area, according to the study, is Iowa City, Iowa, followed by Sioux Falls, S.D.; Columbia, Mo.; Bismarck, N.D.; and Rapid City, S.D.

“With the demographic shift proceeding across America, enabling successful aging could not be more important for our future,” said Paul Irving, president of the Milken Institute, in a release.

To view the full Milken Institute report, please visit www.milkeninstitute.org.