Two-thirds of Americans report that they are less than confident they will have enough money to live comfortably in retirement. Some will stay in the workforce longer than they may have intended.
Others will relocate to a place where their dollar will go father in their after-work years without sacrificing their lifestyle. In a recent report, the personal finance website WalletHub identified both the best and worst cities for retirement.
“It’s important to choose wisely when picking where to retire, as many retirees are on a fixed income,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in a statement.
The best cities for retired people minimize taxes and expenses, and have good opportunities for retirees to continue paid work for extra income if they choose to do so. “In addition, the top cities provide high-quality health care and offer plenty of enjoyable activities for retirees,” Lupo said.
The worst cities are seriously lacking in many of these areas.
WalletHub compared the retirement friendliness of 182 U.S. cities — including the 150 most populated ones, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across these dimensions:
— Affordability, including adjusted cost of living, retired taxpayer friendliness, and annual cost of in-home services and adult day health care
— Activities, including recreation and senior centers per capita, music venues and bingo halls per capita, and availability of adult volunteer activities
— Quality of life, including mild weather, air and water quality, violent and property crime rates, and share of population 65 and older
— Health care, including family medicine physicians per 10,000 residents, health care and home care facilities per capita, life expectancy, and death rate of population 65 and older
Researchers evaluated those dimensions using 45 relevant metrics, and graded each one on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for retirement. In their analysis, they took into account that cost is a significant factor in retirement and assumed retirees will rely on a fixed income: the lower their expenses, the better retirees will fare in a particular city.
See the gallery for the 12 worst American cities for retirement in 2025, according to WalletHub.
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.