Ever wonder how livable your neighborhood is as you age? The AARP  has an amazing, free tool on their website that will tell you.  If you type in your address, zip code, city, or even state, you will be able to see the “livability score” of that area, determined by category scores in housing, neighborhood, transportation, environment, health, engagement, and opportunity. Every category contains 4+ metrics scored on a 100 point scale relative to other cities and towns in the United States, which are averaged out to give a category score. The average of all of the category scores are given as the Livability Score, and is the measurement of how “livable” an area really is.

Many different factors are considered when assigning a livability score, including policies that could improve the area in the future. For example, the index will not only take the cost of housing into account when determining a score, but will also look at the number of multi-family and subsidized housing options. The neighborhood category mainly focuses on access and convenience to places such as grocery stores, parks, and libraries, while the engagement category considers amenities such as access to internet, and choices in internet provider.

The index even allows users to customize their score by selecting what is and isn’t important to them. To learn more about how the scores are determined, click here.