Boston Ranks Fourth-Best City for Aging

Boston is one of the best cities in the country to grow old in.

That's according to a new report by the Milken Institute, a Los Angeles think tank that looked at 100 metropolitan areas in the United States and ranked Boston number four for successful aging, and number one for residents age 80 and older.

Mayor Thomas Menino was not surprised.

“The qualities that make Boston a wonderful city for seniors – like world class health care, accessible transportation, and strong neighborhoods – also make it a great place to live, work, play and retire,” he said in response to the findings. “The City of Boston has always made it a priority to include our seniors, and as our nation’s population continues to age, this becomes even more important.”

While it may be a good place to grow old, the elderly still make up a small percentage of the city's population. Based on information from the Boston Redevelopment Authority's census viewer, young people make up the majority of the population in most of Boston's neighborhoods.

West Roxbury hosts the most residents age 65 and older at 17.1 percent, while Beacon Hill is home to less than 10 percent. Jamaica Plain is in between at 12.7 percent. View the attached images to see how JP compares with other Boston neighborhoods that have Patches.

The Milken Institute looked at 78 different factors including health care, crime rates, housing, transportation, social engagement and weather (where we probably lost some points.)  The ability for seniors to remain in the homes as they age was also a factor, along with living in a walkable neighborhood.

“We define successful aging as living in a safe, affordable, engaging and connected community that offers quality health care and an active lifestyle together with ready access to transportation, education, employment and recreation,” said Paul Irving, senior managing director and chief operating officer of the Milken Institute.  “In many of these factors, Boston is a clear leader.”

Best Cities for Successful Aging

1. Provo, Utah
2. Madison, Wis.
3. Omaha, Neb.
4. Boston, Mass.
5. New York, NY

* See the study

[Editor's note: Boston neighborhood boundaries are famously hard to define. The data in the graphs is drawn from creating maps based on rough outlines of the neighborhoods.]