AARP’s Public Policy Institute announced the 100 top-scoring livable communities across the U.S., as part of the AARP Livability Index™ Top 100. However, the data shows that most of the highest scoring communities lack affordable housing and accessibility options, underscoring the need for local leaders to implement policies that address rising housing costs, insufficient supply of housing options, and growing income inequality.
The AARP Livability IndexTM platform is the most comprehensive, web-based tool of its kind that scores every neighborhood and community in all 50 states and the District of Columbia for the services and amenities that affect people’s lives the most as they age. For the first time, the Index features 100 locations, including towns, villages, and counties, to be more inclusive of communities outside of cities where people live across the nation.
In Massachusetts, many communities scored high, which include Boston that landed seventh in the “very large community” category (population 500,000+). Local communities that made the list in other categories included the City of Cambridge, which only trailed Madison, WI in the list of “large communities” (population 100,000 to 499,999).
In the mid-size community category (population 25,000-99,000), Massachusetts had Belmont (#5 in the category), Somerville (#6), Arlington (#15), and Brookline (#22).
For the full list and to look up AARP’s data on every community, see the AARP Livability Index here.