AARP Reveals NH's 10 Top-Scoring Livable Communities: Is Yours on the List?

New AARP Livability Index™ finds that every community in New Hampshire requires improvement to meet the needs of an aging population

AARP recently announced the 10 top-scoring livable communities in the New Hampshire, as part of the new AARP Livability Index™. The index examines factors that support people as they age, including housing, transportation, neighborhood elements, the environment, health status, and community engagement. The data show top-scoring communities in New Hampshire made progress in job availability, the environment, and civic and social involvement that help make communities more accessible. However, all of the top communities have room to improve to meet the needs of older adults, especially related to housing affordability and access and neighborhood proximity to key destination.

The 10 top-scoring New Hampshire communities, in ranking order, are:

Hanover
Lebanon
Portsmouth
Plymouth
Concord
Keene
Littleton
Goffstown
Peterborough
Manchester

“Every Granite Stater has unique needs as they age, so where they live and the services and amenities available to them matter,” said AARP NH State Director Christina FitzPatrick. “AARP New Hampshire is committed to working with local residents, advocates, and policymakers to make all of our communities better places to live for every life stage.”

Currently, AARP NH is participating in efforts to achieve meaningful high-speed internet access across the state, with particular emphasis on people ages 60 and older. Access to affordable internet access and the knowledge of how to use it are important for helping people to maintain social connections and use services such as telemedicine that make it easier to age in place.

“Older adults overwhelmingly want to stay in their current homes and communities as they age, but most of society isn’t prepared to address the needs of a rapidly aging population,” said Rodney Harrell, PhD, AARP Vice President of Family, Home and Community. “The AARP Livability Index shows that all communities have room to improve to ensure that residents of all ages are active, engaged, and supported, particularly when it comes to affordable housing options. Everyone has a role to play – from community members to researchers, to local advocates and policymakers – to help fill the gaps between what people want and need and what their communities provide, so more older adults can live independently.”

Users can search the website by address, ZIP code, or community to find an overall or category score, identify challenges in their community and compare their neighborhood to others across performance benchmarks. New search tools include the “Community Finder Quiz” and the “Explore All Communities” feature, which match users to communities according to their preferred location characteristics that meet their unique needs. The updated Index also includes climate data for every community, so users can pinpoint desired locations based on their weather preferences.

The AARP Livability Index^TM, platform is the most comprehensive, web-based tool of its kind that scores every neighborhood and community in all 50 states and the District of Columbia for the services and amenities that affect people’s lives the most as they age. The platform scores livability by using more than 50 national data sources to measure each community against 61 indicators of livability.

To view the AARP Livability Index platform or see your community’s score, visit www.aarp.org/livabilityindex.