A fun new “Livability Index” tool from AARP scores neighborhoods for the services and amenities that impact its residents the most.
The index allows you to punch in an address or zip code, and find out how it scores, on a scale from 1 to 100, in seven different categories: housing, transportation, environment, health, engagement, opportunity, and the catchall “neighborhood” category, which encompasses proximity to services as well as personal safety. The site covers 200,000 communities around the country, and includes county- and state-level data as well.
The index also allows you to customize your priorities. If, for instance, you value clean air and water over access to quality health care, you can weight “environment” more heavily and dial back the importance of “health.”
While the AARP index is designed to be of special use to people aged “50-plus,” the researchers who put it together emphasize that it is useful for people of all ages who are trying to figure out where they want to live, either now or in the future.
