Only 56% of Fairfax County residents 50 and older call the county a good place to retire, even as 87% still rate it a good place to live.

The gap emerged in the 2026 Community Assessment Survey for Older Adults (CASOA), as first reported by FFXnow. The results were presented to the Board of Supervisors' Older Adults Committee on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

The retirement figure, while still below the livability score, is the highest in the survey's three iterations. It was 53% in 2022 and 49% in 2019. The livability rating, meanwhile, slipped from 92% in 2022 and 91% in 2019.

John Ruthinoski, a data analyst for the Fairfax County Department of Family Services, called the 56% retirement rating "not an optimal result, but it's trending in the right direction."

Where seniors see trouble

The survey's sharpest pain points centered on money and housing. Only 14% of respondents viewed the local cost of living positively. Just 18% were positive about affordable housing availability, and only 20% rated accessible housing favorably.

Employment was another sore spot. Only 25% of respondents were upbeat about the variety of job opportunities, and 41% reported "finding work in retirement" as a challenge, up from 35% in 2022 and 31% in 2019.

Long-term care options also lost ground. Thirty-six percent of respondents rated them positively, down from 40% in 2022 and 44% in 2019.

Bright spots

Seniors gave high marks to mental health and emotional well-being (89%), physical health (85%), safety (82%) and parks and recreation (82%), according to the CASOA presentation. The county also scored above national benchmarks on economic health, transportation, and education and arts opportunities.

Response rate concerns

The survey, conducted by Polco, was mailed to 22,000 households believed to include a senior. Fewer than 1,800 mailed surveys came back, down sharply from 2,900 in 2022 and 4,800 in 2019. A follow-up open-response survey drew another 1,260 responses, bringing the total to 3,044.

Ruthinoski said at the Oct. 6 meeting that reaching people by mail has grown increasingly difficult.

The 50-to-64 age group was especially hard to reach. Its response rate was one-third lower than its share of the senior population. Braddock District Supervisor Rachna Sizemore Heizer noted the gap, saying that age group faces distinct pressures as caregivers for both aging parents and children.

Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn, who chairs the Older Adults Committee, said some findings surprised him but many did not.

What comes next

The survey results will feed into the county's next SHAPE the Future of Aging Strategic Plan. Community engagement sessions with seniors are expected in each magisterial district over the winter, though specific dates have not been announced. The annual SHAPE report is scheduled for the next Older Adults Committee meeting in June 2027.

Fairfax County's 65-plus population is projected to grow from about 190,000 to roughly 320,000 by 2045, according to a county demographic report issued in July. That nearly 68% increase far outpaces the county's overall projected population growth of about 12%.