Proximity to family and medical care, downsizing and preferences for certain housing attributes are key to seniors as they age, according to a survey of Illinoisans age 55 and older, but their priorities may depend on where they live.

Many of the facts revealed by April survey commissioned by the Illinois REALTORS® Senior Working Group are available in a new infographic available to association members. Download it here.

For example, in rural areas, more seniors (62 percent) rated proximity to family as a greater concern than in Chicago (50 percent). However, 60 percent of Chicago seniors prioritized easy access to health care clinics compared to only 48 percent of seniors in northern rural areas of the state, 54 percent in southern rural areas and 57 percent in Cook County suburbs.

In other areas of the survey:

• 81 percent of seniors own their homes;
• 33 percent of seniors expected to downsize;
• 69 percent placed the highest priority on a main floor bathroom;
• 47 percent placed highest priority on single-floor living; and
• 46 percent rated highest priority for attached or underground parking.

In late August, the Illinois REALTORS® Senior Working Group released its first batch of information from the Illinois REALTORS® Senior Market Survey. An infographic about seniors’ concerns over property taxes was released then, too.