The 10 Best Midsized Cities for Older Americans

The latest ranking of the most livable cities for older adults is out—and among midsized cities, New Jersey seems to be a favorite state.

Four types of communities were examined in AARP’s Livability Index: large cities with 500,000 people or more, semilarge communities with between 100,000 and 499,999 residents, midsized communities with between 25,000 and 99,999 people, and small towns with populations of less than 25,000.

It then ranked each community according to a series of categories, including housing, neighborhood, transportation, environment, health, engagement, and opportunity. Each received a score between 1 and 100 in each category, which are then averaged together to come up with an overall livability score.

Cliffside Park, NJ, topped the list. A community of around 25,000 people, it received an overall score of 68 out of 100, rating high in the neighborhood, transportation, and health categories. Interestingly, five of the 10 most livable cities are located in northern New Jersey, within an hour of New York City; access to the cultural capital of the U.S. no doubt improved their scores.

Of course, living in a “livable city” isn’t necessarily affordable: The median list price for homes in communities on this list ranges from $349,500 to $1.56 million. The median list price in Cliffside Park is $400,000, which is $25,000 less than the median national price of $425,000. Homes there are affordable at $189 per square foot.

In the Boston suburb of Brookline, MA, on the other hand, the median list price is $1.56 million, and homes are an average of $855 per square foot. Though Brookline scored above 79 in the transportation, neighborhood, and health care categories, its affordability score was a dismal 37, giving it an overall score of 65.

Here are the top 10 midsized communities for older Americans:

Cliffside Park, NJ

Median list price: $400,000
Median list price per square foot: $189

Fort Lee, NJ

Median list price: $459,990
Median list price per square foot: $392

Portland, ME

Median list price: $649,500
Median list price per square foot: $505

Burlington, VT

Median list price: $491,000
Median list price per square foot: $351

Union City, NJ

Median list price: $425,000
Median list price per square foot: $429

West New York, NJ

Median list price:$349,500
Median list price per square foot: $306

Bergenfield, NJ

Median list price: $579,500
Median list price per square foot: $345

West Des Moines, IA

Median list price: $385,000
Median list price per square foot: $224

Brookline, MA

Median list price: $1.78 million
Median list price per square foot: $855

Somerville, MA

Median list price: $1.1 million
Median list price per square foot: $728