New Best Places Analysis

[USGrant1962]

Wallethub has published their version of a best places to retire list. Their criteria are affordability, quality of life, and health care.

First and second are Florida and Colorado. The last places are New Jersey and Kentucky.

The article lists their criteria in detail, and some are rather suspect to me. I'm not sure why I would care what share of 65 and older volunteer or have inadequate sleep? Also their tax friendliness rating is for state and local, but the results seem weird (CA is more tax friendly than FL or TX?).

It is clearly aimed at 65+, so YMMV for ER.

https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-states-to-retire/18592/

 

[skipro33]

Minnesota ranked #1 for quality of life and Hawaii ranked only #36? I guess if you don't mind risking frost bite just to get your mail in the winter, o.k.

 

[Red Badger]

Any state where clearing snow is a routine task automatically goes to the bottom of my list (I experience this hardship a few times most winters). Also, like OP, several metrics are of little or no interest to me.

 

[braumeister]

My state is at the bottom of their list, and I'm very happily retired here.

Which just proves (once again) that these "best places" lists are completely useless for most of us.

 

[RobbieB]

I agree. Me thinks they are useful for people who don't like where they live.

If you like where you live why go elsewhere?

 

[Clone]

At best, these studies might give you things to think about as you decide where to live in retirement. Not everyone will rank them the same, and there are many other items to consider. Access to certain ethnic foods, an airport with direct flights to XYZ, skiing or surfing within 2 hour drive, public transportation, professional or collegiate sports, opera, KC style Barbecue, etc.

Most of these are written for the purpose of selling advertisement.

 

[USGrant1962]

At best, these studies might give you things to think about as you decide where to live in retirement. Not everyone will rank them the same, and there are many other items to consider. Access to certain ethnic foods, an airport with direct flights to XYZ, skiing or surfing within 2 hour drive, public transportation, professional or collegiate sports, opera, KC style Barbecue, etc.

Most of these are written for the purpose of selling advertisement.

True, and doing it by state is especially bad. Most states are big enough that they would have vastly different ratings in different areas.

 

[Bamaman]

I seldom agree with any Best of _____ list, and don't waste my time reading them.

After traveling almost all of North America on business, I know which areas are desirable places to live.

And almost all of the desirable places to me are low COL places in red states.

 

[timo2]

Having spent some really cold winters on the South Dakota prairie , there is nothing that they could do that would convince me it is the third best place to retire.

 

[MichaelB]

So, Florida is #1 on the list. I wonder if they are thinking Pensacola, Miami or Key West.

 

[MRG]

So, Florida is #1 on the list. I wonder if they are thinking Pensacola, Miami or Key West.

Yes.

 

[HI Bill]

Hawaii is #42? The best state to retire for you, should really be the best state you can afford to retire in! Hawaii is #3 in health care (really?), with the highest life expectancy, and arguably the best weather year-round (I wear shorts year-round on the weekends, and maybe throw on sweats 5 days a year). I'm willing to pay a premium to live in one of the best climates in the world, with amazing beauty, mostly clean air and water, and one of the safest places you can find (few significant earthquakes, tsunamis, natural disasters).

 

[brucethebroker]

Hawaii is #42? The best state to retire for you, should really be the best state you can afford to retire in! Hawaii is #3 in health care (really?), with the highest life expectancy, and arguably the best weather year-round (I wear shorts year-round on the weekends, and maybe throw on sweats 5 days a year). I'm willing to pay a premium to live in one of the best climates in the world, with amazing beauty, mostly clean air and water, and one of the safest places you can find (few significant earthquakes, tsunamis, natural disasters).

But do fake nuke attack alarms raise blood pressure rates?

 

[HI Bill]

But do fake nuke attack alarms raise blood pressure rates?

For some...I quickly realized that there was nowhere I could go in just 20 minutes, and the best action I could have taken was to fill the tub, pots and pans with water.

I just let my wife continue to sleep. No civil defense sirens were going off in my area! This will be a real-enough concern for the US mainland as NK makes better ICBMs.

 

[W2R]

My state is at the bottom of their list, and I'm very happily retired here.

Which just proves (once again) that these "best places" lists are completely useless for most of us.

Same here.

I do agree that our health care here is not the best. But quality of life? Really? We love living here.

I agree with those who would immediately eliminate the coldest states, and I would also eliminate locations with severely low humidity and insufficient water from rainfall to support their own population.

We had 72" of rain in 2017, and 71" in both 2015 and 2016; I suppose you have to like rain (as long as it doesn't flood) to live here. People say south Louisianians grow webs between their toes if they live here long enough....

I loved living in Hawaii, and would probably live there now except for the cost of housing there. Well, that and the fact that it probably isn't the same Hawaii that I remember from 50-60 years ago. I'm not the same either.

 

[W2R]

So, Florida is #1 on the list. I wonder if they are thinking Pensacola, Miami or Key West.

These are very different from one another. Also Destin, Sarasota, and so on. Florida offers a lot of variety.

 

[Walt34]

I'm glad WV was near the bottom of the list. One of my criteria was "no crowds" so hopefully that article will help keep things that way.

 

[Big_Hitter]

all you need to know about that survey is south dakota and Iowa

really?

 

[Cessna152]

all you need to know about that survey is south dakota and Iowa

really?

I'm probably one of the few who actually considers South Dakota a viable retirement location - specifically the Rapid City area (or in or on the south east edge of Black Hills.) The southwestern portion of SD is somewhat milder, relatively speaking, then the rest of the state. But to be clear, I was born and lived the first 38 years of life in the St. Paul, MN area. On the ledger of climates I've lived in:

Moved eventually out of state and lived a year in Greensboro, NC, a year in Sacramento, CA, a year in Pleasanton, CA, 2 years in San Jose, CA, 7 years in Aptos, CA, and the last 12 just outside Springfield, OR. Retiring this summer and portions of WY, SD, CO, and northern TX are under consideration. First post-retirement road trip will be to check those places out.

 

[Dawg52]

Wallethub has published their version of a best places to retire list. Their criteria are affordability, quality of life, and health care.

First and second are Florida and Colorado.

I'll take both. June-Sept in Colorado and the balance in FL. I'm actually happy with my current setup tho and not surprised both near the bottom.

 

[GravitySucks]

Ha!
Under quality of life golf courses per capita is worth twice the points as both air and water quality.
I'm not living where I can't drink the water.

 

[MRG]

Kentucky looks good.

 

[dixonge]

Whatever you do, don't come to Mexico. Too many expats here already, and you'll probably hate it any way

 

[davebarnes]

2 decimal places of “precision”: get real.

 

[Sunset]

Of course I already know I can improve everything by moving from IL.

It's good that they explain their ranking criteria and value, better than some that don't.

I always dislike on these things, the items I don't care about, example golf courses. and working after age 65.
Plus if they note the number of poor people, then doesn't it make sense a high number of poor are also going to be food insecure, so it's really the same measure. I don't see how say 15% of elderly being below poverty line vs 25% below poverty line makes a State more or less attractive to me ?

• Share of Population Aged 65 & Older Below Poverty Level: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
• Elderly Food Insecurity Rate: Full Weight