The Best States to Retire

When the time comes to retire, many people are less likely to be tied down by a full-time job and the possibility to move to another state opens up. The desire to relocate could be for many reasons, such as being closer to family, more recreational activities, or simply wanting a change of scenery after being in one place for a long time.

There are additional factors to keep in mind that can make-or-break your retirement experience: safety, taxes, healthcare, and living expenses. Each factor varies by state, so it’s best to do your research before committing to a new destination. Use the following map to determine the best (and worst) states to retire.

Interesting Findings

• Iowa is the best state overall for retiring. It ranked within the top 15 states for the lowest rates of identity theft, fraud, and violent crime. Iowa offers a lower cost of living, better healthcare, and lower home prices, making it safe and affordable.
• California is the worst state for retiring. Its sky-high home prices and overall cost of living make it difficult for retirees to live. On top of that, it has more identity theft and fraud than almost any other state in the nation—not to mention fairly high crime rates.
• Kentucky, Wyoming, or Vermont are the best states to retire in if you want to avoid identity theft and fraud.
• The states with the best healthcare are Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Rhode Island. This is partially because all three states have some of the lowest average monthly health insurance premiums throughout the country.
• Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire have the lowest violent crime rates in the United States. On the flip side, the District of Columbia, Alaska, and New Mexico are the highest when it comes to crime.

Methodology

To calculate the best and worst states to retire, we researched all 50 states and the District of Columbia on various factors that affect retirees. We analyzed recent data sets and resources on identity theft and fraud, FBI violent crime rates, tax policies for retirees, the overall cost of living, healthcare, and average home price, and combined the rankings to assign each state a total score.

State	Rank	Total Score	Identity Theft/Fraud Rank	Violent Crime Rank	Taxes on Retirees Rating	Cost of Living Rank	Healthcare Rank	Home Price Rank
Iowa	1	61	12	15	4	13	8	9
Kentucky	2	63	1	7	3	19	27	6
Kansas	3	72	6	36	5	2	15	8
West Virginia	4	83	4	20	3	16	39	1
North Dakota	5	85	11	17	2	25	5	25
Vermont	6	86	3	2	5	40	6	30
Ohio	7	87	21	16	4	15	24	7
Mississippi	8	88	24	13	1	1	47	2
Wyoming	9	91	2	8	1	21	31	28
Maine	10	92	9	1	3	39	14	26
Nebraska	11	93	13	18	5	17	26	14
Oklahoma	12	94	5	39	3	3	40	4
Indiana	13	99	20	29	3	7	30	10
Wisconsin	14	104	17	21	5	24	18	19
Michigan	15	107	18	38	4	12	22	13
Missouri	16	108	10	43	3	6	35	11
Virginia	17	111	19	4	2	31	20	35
Arkansas	18	111	8	47	2	5	46	3
Minnesota	19	115	36	10	5	30	2	32
New Mexico	20	121	14	49	3	4	29	22
Rhode Island	21	122	26	9	5	41	3	38
Pennsylvania	22	123	30	22	4	33	17	17
Idaho	23	126	23	11	3	20	33	36
Illinois	24	126	34	32	5	9	25	21
Utah	25	127	22	12	4	26	19	44
Connecticut	26	127	32	5	5	43	11	31
Hawaii	27	134	7	14	2	51	9	51
South Dakota	28	137	40	33	3	28	10	23
Alabama	29	138	31	44	1	8	49	5
New Hampshire	30	140	48	3	4	35	13	37
Georgia	31	145	41	24	1	10	51	18
Colorado	32	146	28	31	2	32	7	46
Massachusetts	33	149	25	25	4	46	1	48
Montana	34	150	37	27	4	36	12	34
New Jersey	35	152	33	6	5	42	23	43
Tennessee	36	159	38	48	1	11	45	16
North Carolina	37	160	39	28	3	22	48	20
Washington	38	161	15	23	2	38	36	47
Texas	39	163	44	34	4	14	43	24
Florida	40	164	42	30	1	27	37	27
Delaware	41	166	46	35	1	34	21	29
Louisiana	42	172	45	45	2	18	50	12
South Carolina	43	172	47	42	1	23	44	15
Maryland	44	172	27	40	4	44	16	41
Arizona	45	174	29	41	1	29	41	33
Oregon	46	181	35	19	3	47	32	45
New York	47	193	43	26	5	49	28	42
Alaska	48	194	16	50	2	45	42	39
District of Columbia	49	208	51	51	2	50	4	50
Nevada	50	211	49	46	1	37	38	40
California	51	220	50	37	2	48	34	49