The States Where Seniors Are Most Isolated

A review of six measures of social and economic isolation — poverty, living alone, marital status, difficulty living independently, internet access and self-reported loneliness — among residents 65 and over in every state.

By Dharam Khalsa·October 29, 2025

The findings

Isolation is concentrated in the South

Seven of the ten states with the highest scores are in the South. Louisiana ranked first, at 93.55 out of 100. Mississippi followed at 92.87, and West Virginia at 85.05.

Loneliness is not limited to rural areas

New York, a densely populated state, ranked fourth. It had the highest share of older adults who report feeling lonely, at 38.06%.

Lower isolation follows higher income

The states with the lowest scores tend to have low poverty and high internet access. In Colorado, 90.1% of older households are online. In West Virginia, the figure is 77.6%.

Isolation carries health risks

Older adults who are socially isolated face a 50% higher risk of dementia and a 29% higher risk of heart disease than peers with more social contact.

93.55

Isolation score, out of 100, in Louisiana, the state that ranked highest
Louisiana

34%

Share of older adults in Louisiana who report feeling lonely

$6.7B

Estimated additional Medicare spending each year tied to socially isolated older adults

Isolation scores by state

States are shaded by Older Adult Isolation Score, where 100 is the most isolated. Hover or tab through a state to see its figure. Scores were published only for the ten highest and ten lowest states; the other thirty are shown unranked.

LowerHigher

Not ranked

The rankings highlight that isolation is not just about where seniors live, but about the conditions that shape their daily lives. States that combine lower poverty rates, stronger family ties, and better digital access are seeing older adults remain more connected. These examples show that isolation can be reduced when communities address both social and structural factors.

Dharam KhalsaCEO and Co-founder, Mirador Living

The published rankings

The table shows each indicator behind the score for the twenty states with published ranks. Columns can be sorted, states can be searched, and the data can be downloaded. Ranks 11 through 40 were not released.

↔ Scroll to see every column

U.S. states ranked by Older Adult Isolation Score

1	Louisiana	93.55	14.2	29.08	14.51	47.3	34.08	80.6
2	Mississippi	92.87	15.8	28.88	15.43	48	30.39	77.9
3	West Virginia	85.05	12	29.39	15.3	44.8	30.02	77.6
4	New York	83.7	14.3	27.69	14.82	47.8	38.06	86.2
5	Kentucky	80.6	12.9	27.44	14.55	44.3	32.43	82.7
6	New Mexico	79.93	13.7	28.46	14.33	46.7	27.39	81.8
7	Arkansas	74.83	12.1	26.79	14.41	43.8	32.22	81.5
8	Rhode Island	73.13	11.8	28.05	12.86	47.4	34.07	87.2
9	Oklahoma	70.75	11.7	27.88	13.87	45.4	27.71	83.7
10	Tennessee	64.98	12.2	26.74	13.9	44.1	27.09	83.7
41	Hawaii	31.97	10.1	19.51	14.46	43.3	21.97	89.8
42	Arizona	30.25	11.4	24.34	11.04	41.1	25.28	88.9
43	Maine	29.93	9.4	25.74	9.28	41	29.49	87.1
44	Colorado	27.53	9.2	25.97	10.12	40.7	31.26	90.1
45	New Hampshire	26.88	7.6	24.49	9.22	40.1	36.86	89.2
46	Montana	26.18	9.5	26.28	8.87	38.8	27.25	84.9
47	Vermont	23.47	9.6	26.64	8.61	39.9	24.7	86.4
48	Delaware	20.07	7.9	22.88	12.54	40.3	25.89	89.4
49	Utah	17.68	8.2	21.48	10.52	35.9	29.48	89.8
50	Idaho	13.58	9.5	21.39	10.38	36.3	24.5	88.8

Methodology

Overview

The study ranks states by senior isolation using six indicators of social and economic isolation among adults 65 and over.

Data sources

Sourced from America's Health Rankings' analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (1-Year Dataset), the Household Pulse Survey, and other Census Bureau data products.

Scoring

The number of seniors living alone was divided by each state's population aged 65 and over. Each of the six indicators was then converted to a percentile rank, and the ranks were combined into a single Older Adult Isolation Score.

Care Types

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