More older adults than ever are choosing to stay put rather than move into assisted living, and the numbers back up that instinct. Recent surveys show that roughly three out of four adults over 55 consider aging in place a top priority, a shift that has quietly reshaped how cities plan housing, sidewalks, and healthcare access.
The catch is that not every city makes that goal realistic. Only about one in ten American homes currently have the step-free entries, main-floor bedrooms, and accessible bathrooms that make staying home practical long term. That gap is exactly why location matters so much, and why we pulled together data from housing researchers, AARP’s Livability Index, and WalletHub’s retirement rankings to see which cities actually set older residents up for success.
1. Boise, Idaho: The nation’s top age-in-place score
Boise currently holds the top spot on Choice Mutual’s 2026 age-in-place index, Boise, ID, leads with an age-in-place index of 71.77 out of 100, where 75% of homes include a bedroom on the first floor. That single detail matters more than it might sound. Stairs are a leading cause of falls among older adults, so a city where the housing stock already skips that hazard has a real head start.
Three-quarters of homes there include a primary bedroom on the first floor, reducing or eliminating the daily stair-climbing that poses real fall risks for older adults. The city’s ranking wasn’t built on housing alone, either. Researchers weighted the score using 40% for first-floor primaries, 40% for walkability, and 20% for climate, meaning Boise earned its position by scoring well across the board, not just on one metric.
2. Sacramento, California: Walkability meets accessible housing
Sacramento lands in second place nationally, and it gets there through a slightly different formula than Boise. Sacramento comes in second with a score of 67.71, where strong walkability scores of 81.94 out of 100 complement a high percentage of accessible homes. In other words, even where fewer homes have first-floor bedrooms, the city compensates with streets and neighborhoods that are genuinely easy to navigate on foot.
That walkability score is unusually high for a city of Sacramento’s size, and it shows in daily life. Grocery stores, pharmacies, and medical offices tend to sit within a short walk of residential neighborhoods rather than requiring a drive, which matters enormously once driving becomes less convenient with age. The combination of flat terrain and grid-style streets in much of the city also helps, since it reduces the physical strain of getting around without a car.
3. Dallas, Texas: Space, affordability, and first-floor living
Dallas rounds out the top three with a score just behind Sacramento. Dallas ranks third at 67.13, with 78% of homes offering a first-floor primary bedroom. That figure puts it among the most accessible housing markets in the country, not just in Texas.
Dallas ranks sixth in the highest percentage of homes with accessible primary bedrooms, making it one of the five Texas cities in the top 10 for first-floor bedrooms. That’s a notable regional pattern. Newer construction across North Texas tends to favor single-story or split-level layouts, which happens to align well with what aging residents actually need, even though accessibility wasn’t necessarily the original design goal.
4. San Francisco, California: AARP’s top large-city pick for older adults
Move away from housing-specific metrics and toward overall livability, and San Francisco consistently rises to the top. San Francisco once again ranks #1 among very large communities, marking its fifth time topping the list. That kind of consistency across multiple years suggests the city’s advantages aren’t a fluke tied to one good data cycle.
Part of the reason comes down to infrastructure that already existed before “age-friendly design” became a planning buzzword. Fifteen of the top 25 communities on AARP’s list, including San Francisco, are members of the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities, a collection of cities, towns and states that have committed to creating communities responsive to the needs of all ages. Dense public transit, walkable neighborhoods, and proximity to major medical centers all help offset the city’s famously high cost of living for those who can afford to stay.
5. Arlington County, Virginia: A model for healthcare and transit access
Just across the river from Washington, D.C., Arlington County has quietly become one of the strongest performers in AARP’s rankings. Arlington County, Virginia was named the top-ranked large city among AARP’s 2025 rankings of best places for older adults. That’s a notable distinction, since the large-city category includes some far bigger and more famous metro areas.
The specifics behind that ranking are worth noting. Arlington leads this category thanks to its exceptional access to fitness opportunities, healthcare, walkability, and transportation. For older residents without a car, or those who’d simply rather not rely on one, that mix of transit and walkable design removes a lot of the friction that normally comes with staying in one place as mobility changes.
6. Orlando, Florida: The reigning champion of retirement-friendly living
WalletHub’s annual retirement rankings tell a different story, one built more around finances and lifestyle than pure housing accessibility, and Orlando has topped that list for several years running. Orlando is the best place to retire, living up to its reputation as a haven for seniors, largely because it is one of the most tax-friendly cities, and Florida does not have an estate, inheritance, or income tax. Those tax advantages add up meaningfully over a retirement that can stretch two decades or more.
Beyond taxes, Orlando offers something less obvious but equally important: things to actually do. Orlando provides a plethora of recreational activities for retirees, ranking as the third-best city for recreation overall, with an especially high number of music venues, fishing facilities, art galleries and adult volunteer activities. Staying socially engaged is one of the quieter but well-documented factors in successful aging, and Orlando’s dense calendar of low-cost activities makes that easier than in cities where options are sparser.
7. Scottsdale, Arizona: Warm weather and a booming senior population
Scottsdale climbed into WalletHub’s second spot after a steady rise over recent years. The affluent Phoenix-area city rose from sixth place in 2024 to second in the 2025 rankings, in large part because it has an abundance of activities popular with retirees, ranking at the top of the country for adult volunteer activities, art galleries and public and municipal golf courses per capita. That’s a lot of infrastructure built around an active, engaged retirement lifestyle rather than a passive one.
The city also happens to have more neighbors in the same life stage than almost anywhere else in the country. Scottsdale has the nation’s highest share of population aged 65 and over, followed by Pearl City, Hawaii. That concentration tends to shape everything from healthcare availability to the pace of daily life, and it means services catering to older residents are already well established rather than an afterthought.
8. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Cold winters, warm healthcare access
Minneapolis is an unlikely name on most people’s mental list of retirement destinations, yet it consistently ranks among the best. Despite frigid winters, Minneapolis remains a perennial staple in WalletHub’s top 10 cities for retirement. The city proves that sunshine isn’t a prerequisite for aging well, even if it helps sell the idea.
What Minneapolis offers instead is practical: strong healthcare systems and a labor market that doesn’t shut older workers out. Minneapolis has one of the most elderly-friendly labor markets in the country, meaning it has a large percentage of jobs that are easy to perform even for elderly residents. For the growing number of retirees who want part-time or flexible work rather than full retirement, that’s a genuine advantage most warm-weather cities can’t match.
9. Ann Arbor, Michigan: A college town built around community
Ann Arbor’s appeal for older residents comes less from any single ranking and more from the layered advantages of being a mid-size college town. As one of the best college towns in the U.S., with the University of Michigan located in the heart of the city, residents get urban living, community involvement, restaurants, and shopping all in one place, plus access to University of Michigan Health, one of the best hospitals in Michigan. That combination of academic energy and serious medical infrastructure is rare outside major metros.
Outdoor access matters too, and Ann Arbor delivers there as well. Elderly-friendly activities in the area include boating along the Huron River Water Trail, hiking through the Bird Hills Nature Area, or exploring the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum. None of these require intense physical exertion, which makes them realistic options for older residents who still want to stay active outdoors without pushing their limits.
10. Lincoln, Nebraska: Quiet affordability and strong livability
Lincoln rarely gets the national attention that Florida or Arizona cities do, but it consistently scores well once researchers look past name recognition. Lincoln, Nebraska, comes out on top because of its access to many parks, low cost of living, and high quality of life. Lower housing and living costs stretch retirement savings further, which is a bigger factor in long-term stability than most rankings give it credit for.
The city’s demographics also help explain its strength. It’s an inclusive city, scoring high on livability with a healthy older adult population. A sizable community of peers tends to support more senior-focused services, from transportation programs to healthcare providers who specialize in geriatric care, simply because the demand justifies the investment.
Final thoughts
No single ranking tells the whole story, since one measures housing accessibility, another measures overall livability, and another measures financial friendliness for retirees. Taken together, though, a pattern emerges: the best cities for aging in place tend to combine walkable streets, accessible housing stock, and healthcare that’s easy to reach without depending entirely on a car.
For anyone weighing a move later in life, the right answer probably depends on which of those factors matters most personally, whether that’s tax savings, a first-floor bedroom, or simply having enough neighbors in the same stage of life to build a community around.
