To find out which states are the best or the worst for seniors in America, the study compared all states across four major categories (physical health, mental health, finances, and social factors) with all categories having at least two individual metrics. A total of 12 individual ranking factors were included, and states were awarded points based on their rank in each factor, with a best possible score of 306.
Physical health
“We compared the age-adjusted rates of the top five causes of death of older adults (excluding COVID-19), which are Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, COPD, diabetes, and heart disease for the years 2011 and 2020. This data came via a custom query to the CDC’s WONDER database” reads the analysis.
In 2020, amid the raging pandemic, COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the United States, with only cancer and heart disease taking more lives. These top causes of death, along with Alzheimer’s disease, COPD, and diabetes, were more common for people over the age of 65.
To determine which states are the best in combating these diseases, the study calculated the rate of change for all five top causes of death for those 65 and older (Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, COPD, diabetes, and heart disease) over the past decade. In the final analysis, the rate of change for all five diseases was averaged and each state’s score was weighted by a factor of 2.5, given the importance of physical health.
Mental health
“We compared the age-adjusted rates of suicide among those 65 and older for the years 2011 and 2020 using a WONDER query, as well as the percentage of older adults reporting having no bad mental health days in the past month for the years 2011 and 2020. This figure came via a custom query of the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System” the study notes.
When adding the mental health into the equation, most states do poorly, with a significant increase in suicide rates for older adults. Two factors were considered in this category — the percentage of older adults who reported having stable mental health days in the past month and the age-adjusted rate of death by suicide for those 65 and older.
While only one state excelled in both categories, five states showed improvements in the share of older adults reporting to have no bad mental well-being days, and 13 states have seen the rate of suicides among older adults fall in the past decade.
Finances
“We compared the change in the average monthly Social Security retirement benefit for 2011 and 2020, adjusting the 2011 figures for inflation at a cumulative rate of 15 percent. We also calculated the change in the share of older adults below the poverty line in each state with data from the U.S. Census Bureau for the years 2011 and 2020.” the study writes.
The financial well-being of seniors is a mixed bag. Each state has seen its monthly Social Security retirement check increase by inflation, but more than half of states are also seeing an increase in the number of people aged 65 and older living below the poverty line.
Social factors
“Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, we analyzed how the risk of social isolation for older adults has changed via these three metrics: householders 65 and older living alone, people 65 and older without internet access, and residents 65 and older per 100,000 people.”
Over the past decade, all states have seen their population-adjusted rate of older adults rise, while all but five have seen a reduction in the number of seniors living alone. There has been a decline in the percentage of seniors without access to the internet in all but 10 states, but in this area we were only able to compare the change since 2015 since data from a decade ago was not available. As a result, all states have probably seen an improvement in this rate since 2011.
