Moving every few years is part and parcel of military families' lives. At retirement, they face numerous considerations in deciding which state to settle down in for a comfortable post-service life, WalletHub notes in a new report.
These include a state's tax policies on military benefits, job opportunities and whether the state has programs for returning veterans. It also includes the quality of veteran-focused healthcare, and such factors as the weather and availability of arts, entertainment and recreational facilities.
"Transitioning from military to civilian life isn't easy, but the best states for military retirees make that adjustment as smooth as possible," Chip Lupo, analyst at the personal finance website, said in a statement.
"In addition to providing the conditions necessary for our veterans to thrive financially, they also have ample resources for taking care of military retirees' physical and mental health."
For its study, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across these key dimensions:
— Economic environment, including state tax on military pension, job opportunities for veterans, tax friendliness and housing affordability
— Quality of life, including share of veterans, quality of public university system, share of population 40 and older and idealness of weather
— Healthcare, including quality of VA hospitals; federal, state, local and private hospitals per capita; and physicians and mental health counselors per capita
Researchers evaluated those dimensions using 28 relevant metrics and graded each one on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for military retirees.
See the accompanying gallery for the 12 best states for military retirees.
© 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.