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July 08, 2016 at 08:49 AM
Some cities, even those loved by younger residents, make life difficult for retirees or just don’t have much to offer them. Here are 15 of those cities as ranked by Bankrate.
(For some better picks, check out the 15 Best US Cities for Retirement: 2016.)
Of course, many retirees look for family or good weather to decide where to settle in their golden years. Many times that works, but in using eight measurements: cost of living, crime rates (both violent and property), well-being of seniors, walkability, taxes, health care quality, weather and culture, Bankrate added a multidimensional way to search for the right spot – or not — to retire. Of the 200 cities it measured, here are the ones that ranked lowest:
15. Hartford, Connecticut
Despite being the capital of Connecticut and, following the Civil War, the “richest city in the United States,” today this “insurance capital of the world” is one of the poorest cities in the nation with three out of every 10 families living below the poverty line. The only positive Bankrate found was great walkability. Negatives include high cost of living, high crime rate, average well-being for seniors, very high taxes, below average health care, below average weather and average local culture.
14. Ontario, California
More of a gas stop while driving from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, this Southern California city has two things going for it: good weather and low crime rates. However, it has very high cost of living, below average well-being, average walkability, high taxes, below average health care quality and poor culture. Grab your gas receipt and keep driving.
13. East Hartford, Connecticut
Apparently even worse than Hartford is East Hartford, which has high cost of living, average well-being, below average walkability, very high taxes, below average health care quality, below average weather and average local culture. On the positive side, it has low crime rates.
12. Schenectady, New York
Just trying to spell the name might be a hint, but this upstate New York city on the Mohawk River, about 20 miles from the state capital Albany, shouldn’t be high on any retiree’s list. The city of 66,000 has high crime rates, below average well-being, very high taxes, below average health care quality and poor weather. That said, it has average cost of living, good walkability and average local culture.
11. Riverside, California
Named for its location along side the Santa Ana River, Riverside is a large community just 60 miles west of L.A. Although it has low crime rates and good weather, the negatives are glaring: very high cost of living, below average well being, below average walkability, high taxes, below average health care quality and poor culture. That said, it’s a quick drive to Big Bear to ski and to Palm Springs to golf.
10. New York
Perhaps it was the price of “Hamilton” tickets that put it over the top, but New York, despite being one of the most exciting places to live, especially when young, is pricy for those on a pension. Bankrate found it had very high cost of living, below average well-being for seniors, very high taxes, below average health care quality and below average weather. That said, it does have low crime rates, great walkability and great culture.
9. Little Rock, Arkansas
The Arkansas state capital, located on the Arkansas River, is a mixture of positives and negatives for retirees. Problematic: very high crime rate, poor well being for seniors, below average walkability, below average culture. However, it has a low cost of living, average taxes, good health care quality and good weather.
