New Study Says Wyoming no. 12 Most Dangerous State for ‘Aging in Place’

A record 4.2 million Americans are expected to turn 65 this year – and nearly 75% want to remain home as they age, increasing the risk of medical complications and social isolation.

Seniorly released a study on the Safest and Most Dangerous States for Aging in Place after analyzing data from the CDC, CMS, Census Bureau, and HUD.

Ten key factors were analyzed in all 50 states and D.C. including home health aides, ER wait times, weather safety, smart homes, fatal car crashes, and financial security.

Despite its reputation as a retirement destination, Florida is the No. 1 most dangerous state for ‘Aging in Place’ and Utah is the No. 1 safest.

The 10 safest states were largely in the West and Midwest. The 10 most dangerous states were largely in the Southeast.

Key Findings

Among the key findings, Wyoming has no home health agencies with a 4.5 or 5-star CMS rating (tied for 48th), while there are 24.9 fatal crashes involving seniors for every 100,000 drivers (No. 47) and just 17.8% of the population interacts with household equipment via the internet (No. 46).

Florida's high ranking comes from the second worst home health aid availability (56 seniors to every home health aide available) and poor weather safety due to hurricanes and extreme precipitation.

The top ten safest state have safer weather, greater smart home adoption and shorter ER visits: Utah, North Dakota, New Jersey, Idaho, Texas, Nebraska, California, New Mexico, Kansas, and Washington.

The ten most dangerous states tended to score poorly on home health aide availability, smart home adoption, and fatal car crashes: Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Vermont, Oklahoma, and Hawaii.

In Utah, seniors face some of the lowest risks for social isolation with only 35.7% living alone. The state also leads the nation in smart technology use with 37% of residents interacting with household equipment via the internet; and the state enjoys mild weather year-round despite winter snowfall.

See where other states fall here.