10 worst states for retirement

[ziggy29]

I can understand if the retiree needs to w*rk this isn't the place to live, but to me retired = no w*rk.

Agreed, though these days I can see why it might be a factor for some. It feels like retirement -- true, long and *full* retirement, will be more of a luxury and more unattainable to the masses in the middle class. So having a decent j*b market in the area can be a factor in case one either (a) has to return to w*rk for financial reasons or (b) they just decide they aren't ready for full retirement and might as well put a few more dollars in their pockets.

 

[jIMOh]

That's hilarious. What is a person supposed to conclude about retiring in California? Were the authors on drugs?

One reason I actually LIKE reading lists like these, is that it gives me ideas of what sorts of things I might have missed about a potential retirement location. Then I can think about these aspects and determine whether or not they make any difference to me. Often the criteria used just aren't important to me, so the actual ranking is kind of irrelevant.

I agree that using a list like this to decide where to retire is not a good idea. If a person likes surfing, retiring to New Hampshire should not be considered even if Hawaii or CA have higher costs on a survey. Conversely, if a person likes shoveling, they should not retire to Arizona either

Use lists like this to see criteria, and evaluate which of the criteria is important to you. Retirement is personal- meaning using averages, surveys and other people's opinions to make decisions for you will lead to less than desirable results.

 

[rescueme]

I think the list tries to bring out what retirees most likely prefer:
- Weather: Warm, no snow to shovel
- Lower taxes
- Cultural activities (Florida offers such opportunities plus pleasant weather)
- Fiscal condition

I would further prefer:
- Lower property taxes, meaning lower or moderate property prices (for snowbirds)
- Geographical location (for snowbirds)

Well, being in eastern Pa (about 90 miles west of NYC, 50 miles north of Phila), let me answer your points:

Weather? My DW/me lived in Florida; did not like the heat/humidity and enjoy the four seasons of our current abode. We don't shovel snow. If we get any, we just wait's till it melts (I'm retired, and have an AWD vehicle). I also lived in Texas; no snow but plenty of heat and tornados (Lubbock) during my time there.

Taxes? We pay no state/local income tax on any retirement vehicles - be it IRA's or pensions, or SS. Enough said? When we reach age 65 (depending on income), we get breaks on propery tax, and services (such as trash pickup).

Cultural options? As stated, we live 90 miles west of NYC. My wife (I'm not into "culture") goes there several times a year (via local bus service) to attend shows and other events (BTW, I slept through "Fathom"; money spent on plays is wasted on me).

As far as "Fiscal condition"? Nothing more challenging than what is going on in other states, and much less "challenges" as somewhere as California.

We're happy; for us, that's all that counts...

 

[W2R]

Often individuals' lists of criteria for a retirement location are mostly based on what they feel is wrong with their present location, IMO.

I am writing from one of the best/safest neighborhoods in a very high crime location (New Orleans). So, to me "low crime" is a no-brainer. Yet I don't even see it on the list of criteria given by the website we are discussing.

Part of the process in refining one's own criteria should be imagining what is RIGHT about your present community, and then whether or not you feel the absence of that quality would matter.

 

[rescueme]

I am writing from one of the best/safest neighborhoods in a very high crime location (New Orleans).

While I/DW have been in "Norleans" a few time (we vacationed there, and I attended several conferences over the years at your conference center, sponsored by Computer Associates), for us it was not what we desire (too much humidity - we "melted").

Not to say it is not a beautiful city, nor that it meets your needs (It impressed me so much, that we have a print hanging in our dining room and seveal others in our living room).

However, to live there (in retirement) is not something that we desire.

If it works for you? Great However, my DW kept on repeating the phrase from the WWW (you now, "Oz"), where she says "I'm melting )...

 

[LuvSouth]

I think it pretty much depends on retirees' priorities.

To me, NV seems to be ok to some retirees and I am surprised it's on the list of worst 10.

I would think FL and AZ are my top 2 but TX is not bad either. I think it also depends on where one lives before retirement.

Say I live in Canada and it's bloody cold. I used to live in the Prairies and it is really really bloody cold in the winter, now I live in Toronto where it's not as cold as the prairies but when it comes to choosing a location for retirement/snowbirding, I as a lot of Canadians would choose some warmer climate to snowbird.

Having said that, if one lives in a milder states such as GA or SC or NV, then there might not be a strong desire to move to the adjacent state such as FL.

So, it all depends on what one's looking for. The list only gives some idea for retirees to consider/not consider.

 

[TromboneAl]

cultural opportunities

Cultural opportunities in California = You can attend a live taping of "Wheel of Fortune."

 

[LuvSouth]

Cultural opportunities in California = You can attend a live taping of "Wheel of Fortune."

May I ask how to get admission to Wheel of Fortune ? If one's not local, does the programme provide air ticket & accomodation ?

 

[scrinch]

Quote:
Originally Posted by ziggy29
..."cultural opportunities".

Yes; I live where I live since my DW is there ...

I'm guessing that 30 years ago you would have been referring to recreational opportunities instead of cultural opportunities?

 

[ScottFromUtah]

My top 16 reasons for living where I do after retiring: 16 or my 21 grandchildren live here.

 

[Ronstar]

Wonder how this list differs from the 10 worst states to live in if you are not retired?

I'd say its the same - at least the number 1 is.

 

[NW-Bound]

I also found this surprising.

Arizona (PR), Oregon (PR), and Florida (PR) are all frequently mentioned as problem states because of their unhealthy economies. These high-growth states are having to deal with no growth, and the transition has been difficult.

I would have thought these three states would be right at the top of the list of good places to retire.

So, I looked up the Web to see the following unemployment rates for Oct 2010.

TX: 8.1%
AZ: 9.5%
OR: 9.9%
FL: 11.6%
CA: 12.0%

All of US: 9.6%

So, AZ unemployment rate is just the average, just as I thought. The housing mess is another story though. During the housing bubble, words got out that the housing market in AZ was hot, so many investors flocked from the West Coast and the East Coast and saw for themselves that the houses were indeed much less expensive compared to where they lived. So, many of them bought houses and just left them vacant with the expectation to flip them later for a profit. Those empty houses now turn into a foreclosure nightmare, but thankfully, these new subdivisions are mostly way out in the suburb, 30 to 40 miles from the city center where most long-term Arizonans aren't.

But, but, but despite the fact that AZ does not have a high unemployment rate, most people should just stay away. It's the damn dry heat, folks. I have been here 35 years, and I nearly die each summer. Out-of-towners would just turn into jerky! Of course one can move to the AZ higher country, but land is scarce and houses aren't really cheap there.

All in all, Texas would be a far better place.

 

[Gumby]

We will almost certainly stay right here after we retire. We have high taxes and a high cost of living, but this is the place we feel that we fit in. There are many places in this country where I am sure I could not relate to the majority of the people, nor they to me. In that case, it really wouldn't matter how beautiful and warm it was or how low the cost of living.

 

[Koolau]

Picked my retirement state during my first walk through the Honolulu airport (of all places). That was 35 years ago. I worked through all the other issues and made them fit the fact that I was moving there upon retirement. So relatively high costs for housing, taxes, consumables, etc. and politics to the left of Edward Kennedy, were just details to work out. (Don't bore me with the facts, my mind is made up!) So the "Best Places" type books were just planning tools for things like what I would need in the nest egg and also to look for "work arounds" for the negative issues.

So when someone says they love Texas or California or Mississippi (or whatever) I assume it has more to do with their personal preferences and less to do with the positives and negatives (as documented in the books and web sites that track such things). Im sure some folks do pick a state based on their ability to retire there earlier, but I'm guessing that's relatively rare even for this group. Life is too short to live someplace you really don't like - even if you can retire there sooner. Just my opinion, of course.

Obviously, if you haven't found a place that draws you to it as Paradise has drawn me for 35 years, the "data" might be a good place to start. Having said that, I certainly hope no one makes such a big decision based on "just the facts, ma'am". If you find a place you love, you'll find a way to make it work. Like I always told my kids: You can have anything you really want - you just can't have everything you want.

 

[OhSoClose]

I'm shocked that Nevada is on the list. Yes, there are definitely fiscal issues, but housing costs are low, weather is super (it's 58 and sunny in the middle of Dec), and cost of living is low with no income tax and very low property taxes. There is also a lot to do.

Snow skiing is within an hour of our house and there are more hiking, biking and walking trails than you can count.

We moved from TX to NV last March because we knew it is where we eventually wanted to retire and we wanted to get in while the house prices were cheap!

I can understand if the retiree needs to w*rk this isn't the place to live, but to me retired = no w*rk.

+1

Don't see how Nevada can be on any top ten worst places for retirement.

 

[vicente solano]

We will almost certainly stay right here after we retire. We have high taxes and a high cost of living, but this is the place we feel that we fit in. There are many places in this country where I am sure I could not relate to the majority of the people, nor they to me. In that case, it really wouldn't matter how beautiful and warm it was or how low the cost of living.

Same opinion here

 

[haha]

We will almost certainly stay right here after we retire. We have high taxes and a high cost of living, but this is the place we feel that we fit in. There are many places in this country where I am sure I could not relate to the majority of the people, nor they to me. In that case, it really wouldn't matter how beautiful and warm it was or how low the cost of living.

To me, this fit is the number one asset of any place. Most of us are not chameleons, we have definite and perhaps pretty well set personalities, attitude sets, and preferences in all sorts of day to day social interactions. Even when you are young and have children and jobs to help you integrate, if you don't fit you just don't fit.

Before I moved into the city I lived in a nearby area that drew some retirees, but was really a tight knit ethnic community that had no real use for outlanders. If the newcomers could find enough other newcomers, and fit in with them, all was well. But the transplants were mainly an affluent "golf and consume" crowd.

I got to know an older couple who moved into the main part of the old town, and who definitely did not fit. They were too intellectual, too frugal, and too non-golfish for the transplants, and too non-local for the locals. The man seemed content enough, just walking around town, stopping at the library, watching the harvests, and dropping into the bakery.(Where I met him.) But his wife was very outgoing and needed people. She eventually became depressed, and I hardly ever saw her. The guy continued wandering around, such that my wife and I referred to him as The Wanderer. They never left, I guessed that having bought a home they couldn't handle the financial or other costs of an attempt at another choice. They had both passed before I left, first she did then he several years later.

 

[NW-Bound]

They were too intellectual, too frugal, and too non-golfish for the transplants, and too non-local for the locals. The man seemed content enough, just walking around town, stopping at the library, watching the harvests, and dropping into the bakery.(Where I met him.) But his wife was very outgoing and needed people. She eventually became depressed, and I hardly ever saw her...

Perhaps you nailed the difference between the introvert and the extrovert. The introvert may never fit in anywhere, but he just doesn't care.

 

[Brat]

Where young people go to retire...

Portlandia: The place where young people go to retire | OregonLive.com

 

[freebird5825]

No newsflashes here.

3. New York. Very high taxes, including property taxes. Second highest tax burden and 5th highest per-capita property taxes. Dysfunctional state legislature. Very expensive to live in this climate with cold winters. Most pensions are exempt, however.


$3200 school taxes, approx $1000 county taxes on a 1977 vintage home on 1.25 acres in East Nowhere.

8.5% sales tax

Don't even get me started about gas, liquor, sugary drinks, and tanning booth (yes you heard right) taxes.

The "one more year plan" is solidifying...

 

[NW-Bound]

Portlandia: The place where young people go to retire | OregonLive.com

I remember a few years ago reading about Portland being a place where many runaway teens came to hang out. City officials had to do something to keep them from falling prey to criminal elements. I do not know if this situation persists.

 

[Brat]

I don't know if Portland population of runaway teens is higher than any other city with moderate temperatures but I do know that the police on the west coast are trying to address the transportation of young women for purposes of prostitution. They are finding that many were entrapped when running away from home, or even just talking to strangers. These agencies are beginning to look at the problem as tantamount to slavery, arresting the pimps and sheltering the girls.

 

[vicente solano]

Ha: Don´t you live in or around Seattle?

I am asking because I happen to have seen a documentary about Spaniards living there. All of them very impressed and happy with the city and surroundings.

 

[Orchidflower]

Well, this confirms I was right about Illinois anyway.... The taxes are h-e-double hockeysticks! (And I won't even mention the cold)

My friend that is sick moved to Vegas and is questioning medical care there. With such a serious case as she possibly has...bad decision to move there.

 

[rescueme]

The introvert may never fit in anywhere, but he just doesn't care.

Hey, I resemble that remark ...

"What you think of me, is none of my business"...