AARP Reveals Virginia’s 10 Top Livable Communities

Richmond, Virginia — AARP Virginia announced the 10 top-scoring livable communities across the state, as part of the 10^th anniversary of the AARP Livability Index™ platform ─ 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 improve people’s quality of life.

While some communities in Virginia have made significant strides in areas such as expanding public transportation options, every community still has work to do to promote livability and ensure people can stay in their homes and communities as they age. Particularly, Virginia's top communities should focus on improving affordable housing options.

Based on the AARP Livability Index platform, the top 10 communities in Virginia are:

Falls Church City, Arlington County, Alexandria City, Vienna, Herndon, Charlottesville City, Vinton, Fairfax County, Fairfax City and Purcellville.

“We encourage more communities in Virginia to use the AARP Livability Index to identify areas for improvement and help create vibrant and welcoming environments for people of all ages,” said AARP Virginia State President Joyce Williams. “And we look forward to working with local leaders to innovate and adapt to meet the needs of residents of all ages.”

AARP Virginia has been actively engaged to address the state’s challenges and opportunities, including supporting the Charlottesville Area Alliance’s proposal for a citywide walk-audit repository to strengthen local walkability planning.

Launched in 2015, the AARP Livability Index platform scores livability by using more than 50 national data sources, such as the U.S. Census Bureau American Communities Survey, across seven categories: housing, neighborhood, transportation, environment, health, engagement, and opportunity. The tool measures every city, county, and town against 61 indicators of livability, ranging from monthly housing costs to access to transportation, opportunities for social connections to the presence of age-friendly community plans. Users can search the interactive online tool 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.

To view the AARP Livability Index platform and see your community’s score or find your next place to live using the community finder quiz, visit aarp.org/livabilityindex.



About AARP

AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to the 125 million Americans 50-plus and their families: health and financial security, and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org/about-aarp/, www.aarp.org/español or follow @AARP, @AARPLatino and @AARPadvocates on social media.