Bankrate’s “Best and Worst States to Retire” list ranks all 50 states according to their cost of living, crime rate (violent and property crimes), health care quality, state and local tax burden, personal well-being for seniors and weather (temperature, percentage of sunshine, humidity). The overall ranks of 1 to 50 go from best to worst. For more on how we ranked the states, check out our story “How we ranked best and worst states to retire.”
Overall rank | State | Cost of living | Crime rate | Community well-being | Health care quality | Tax rate | Weather |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Wyoming | 18 | 5 | 5 | 32 | 3 | 8 |
2 | South Dakota | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 29 |
3 | Colorado | 32 | 25 | 4 | 13 | 16 | 3 |
4 | Utah | 15 | 22 | 8 | 11 | 30 | 6 |
5 | Virginia | 20 | 4 | 17 | 14 | 24 | 10 |
6 | Montana | 33 | 19 | 3 | 27 (tied) | 13 | 9 |
7 | Idaho | 2 | 2 | 36 | 38 | 22 | 7 |
8 | Iowa | 13 | 12 | 14 | 6 | 20 | 39 |
9 | Arizona | 27 | 41 | 9 | 21 | 15 | 5 |
10 | Nebraska | 14 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 21 | 21 |
11 | Maine | 38 | 3 | 22 | 3 | 37 | 27 |
12 | North Dakota | 29 | 10 | 15 | 12 | 18 | 43 |
13 | Wisconsin | 25 | 13 | 13 | 2 | 47 | 46 |
14 | Minnesota | 30 | 15 | 7 | 5 | 42 | 48 |
15 | New Hampshire | 39 | 7 | 21 | 1 | 7 | 49 |
16 | North Carolina | 21 | 33 | 23 | 16 | 31 | 19 |
17 | Kansas | 8 | 32 | 25 | 36 | 28 | 17 |
18 | South Carolina | 24 | 48 | 19 | 23 | 9 | 16 |
19 | Tennessee | 6 | 47 | 37 | 33 | 4 | 24 |
20 | Pennsylvania | 31 | 16 | 33 | 24 | 38 | 22 |
21 | Texas | 17 | 38 | 11 | 48 | 6 | 23 |
22 | Rhode Island | 41 | 18 | 26 | 7 | 43 | 12 |
23 | Vermont | 42 | 1 | 29 | 10 | 41 | 35 |
24 | Mississippi | 1 | 23 | 43 | 43 | 10 | 42 |
25 | Delaware | 34 | 42 | 27 | 8 | 35 | 18 |
26 | Massachusetts | 45 | 21 | 30 | 4 | 39 | 11 |
27 | Nevada | 37 | 44 | 38 | 46 | 8 | 4 |
28 | Florida | 28 | 39 | 12 | 29 | 17 | 28 |
29 | Michigan | 9 | 29 | 39 | 20 | 26 | 45 |
30 | New Mexico | 22 | 50 | 16 | 47 | 14 | 1 |
31 | Alabama | 7 | 43 | 28 | 27 (tied) | 12 | 41 |
32 | Kentucky | 5 | 9 | 49 | 42 | 29 | 33 |
33 | Georgia | 10 | 35 | 41 | 40 | 19 | 20 |
34 | Illinois | 23 | 24 | 35 | 26 | 46 | 36 |
35 | Washington | 36 | 36 | 24 | 17 | 25 | 40 |
36 | Ohio | 16 | 27 | 47 | 30 | 32 | 37 |
37 | Indiana | 3 | 30 | 46 | 39 | 27 | 34 |
38 | Missouri | 12 | 37 | 45 | 35 | 23 | 38 |
39 | California | 49 | 31 | 10 | 41 | 45 | 2 |
40 | New Jersey | 43 | 8 | 32 | 18 | 48 | 15 |
41 | Maryland | 40 | 34 | 34 | 19 | 44 | 13 |
42 | Connecticut | 46 | 6 | 18 | 25 | 49 | 14 |
43 | Alaska | 47 | 46 | 2 | 37 | 1 | 50 |
44 | Oklahoma | 4 | 40 | 48 | 50 | 11 | 26 |
45 | Hawaii | 50 | 26 | 1 | 22 | 36 | 32 |
46 | Louisiana | 19 | 49 | 42 | 49 | 5 | 44 |
47 | Arkansas | 11 | 45 | 44 | 45 | 34 | 30 |
48 | Oregon | 44 | 28 | 31 | 34 | 40 | 31 |
49 | West Virginia | 35 | 14 | 50 | 44 | 33 | 47 |
50 | New York | 48 | 17 | 40 | 31 | 50 | 25 |
Sources: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Gallup-Healthways; Council for Community and Economic Research; FBI; Tax Foundation; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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