Seniors see aging in place as greatest health risk in 2025: survey

U.S. seniors cited aging in place as the biggest threat to their overall health and well-being for the second straight year in 2025, regardless of where they live, their income or their education, according to a new Alignment Health survey.

In total, 64% of seniors identified aging in place as their primary social risk, down from 69% in 2024. Other top concerns included access to medical care (60%), economic barriers (51%), medical debt (44%), lack of support (34%) and lack of transportation (31%).

The Social Threats to Aging Well in America annual survey gathered responses from 2,200 Americans age 65 and older, highlighting the social and environmental hurdles they face.

The findings come as the U.S. senior population is projected to swell to 82 million by 2050, up from 58 million in 2022. By 2030, one in five Americans will be 65 or older.

And as older adults aim to live safely and independently, the risks are becoming clearer: 28% of seniors said that aging in place led them to skip medical care in 2025, up six percentage points from the prior year.

“Our annual survey looks beyond the medical diagnosis and provides a full picture of seniors’ state of being, their desires in aging and what support they need to reach their optimal level of aging as they wish,” said Ken Kim, chief medical officer at Alignment Health, in a statement. 

Importantly, financial resources alone don’t appear to ease the concern. Respondents who cited aging in place as their main obstacle had an average household income of $81,300, nearly identical to the national sample.

Support services could make a difference. Sixty-four percent of seniors said they would use benefits to support independent living if offered by their health insurance in the next 12 months. Desired benefits included home-safety upgrades, personal medical alert systems and in-home health care visits.

That demand is reinforced by seniors’ housing preferences: A Clever Real Estate survey found that 61% of baby boomer homeowners “never” plan to sell their homes — a seven-point jump from 2024. More than half cited their desire to age in place as the main reason.

Still, housing costs remain a pressing concern. The Alignment Health survey found that 32% of seniors skip medical care due to economic insecurity, with rising expenses for housing, health care, groceries and other essentials.

“Where they live, how they get care and the support systems around them can change their health trajectory – for better or worse,” said Kim.