Research Reveals Best, Worst States for Aging in Place in 2025
Seniorly has released research results revealing the best and worst states in the U.S. for aging in place in 2025. To determine the best states, researchers looked at the most recent data across 10 categories, including seniors’ risk of isolation, home health care quality, home health aide availability, emergency care timeliness, smart home adoption, housing costs, road safety, local walkability, food delivery access and weather hazards.
Seniorly took a comprehensive look at which states offer not only the most supportive, but also the least supportive environments for older adults seeking independence and quality of life in their golden years. Key findings include:
Utah is the best state for aging in place: Seniors in Utah face some of the lowest risks of social isolation, with only 35.7% living alone – ranking third nationally. The state also enjoys minimal precipitation, averaging just 10.1 inches of rain and snowfall per year (No. 3), and leads the nation in smart technology use, with 37% of residents interacting with household equipment via the internet.
Florida is the worst state for aging in place: Despite its reputation as a haven for retirees, Florida ranks last due to limited access to home health aides (50 seniors per aide) along with a high housing cost burden, as 30.7% of older homeowners spend more than 30% of their income on housing. Florida’s 53 inches of annual precipitation also contribute to its low score in weather safety.
No state is perfect, with outliers among the top and bottom: North Dakota ranks No. 2 overall, even though 46.4% of its seniors live alone – one of the highest rates in the country (No. 50). At the other end of the list, No. 45 Mississippi ranks third for quality of home health agencies, with 33.3% earning a 4.5 or 5-star CMS rating. And in No. 7 California, older adults face long emergency room wait times, averaging 184 minutes and ranking 42nd nationwide.
Read the full report here.
