{"id":1035811,"date":"2026-08-31T23:12:30","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T23:12:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1035811\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T23:12:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T23:12:30","slug":"the-best-and-worst-us-states-to-retire-in-ranked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1035811\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best and Worst US States to Retire in, Ranked"},"content":{"rendered":"

Retirement<\/a> is full of decisions, and the state you choose to retire in could be the most important one.<\/p>\n

A recent WalletHub study<\/a> pitted the 50 states against one another across three main categories \u2014 affordability, quality of life, and healthcare \u2014\u00a0to determine the best places for retirement.<\/p>\n

The three factors were assessed using 46 different metrics. To determine a state’s affordability, metrics such as adjusted cost of living and retired taxpayer-friendliness<\/a> were considered. Quality of life included metrics such as the risk of social isolation<\/a>, the mildness of the weather, and even the number of bingo halls per capita, while the healthcare category considered metrics such as nurses, dentists, and health aides per capita, life expectancy, and more.<\/p>\n

“Retirement is supposed to be relaxing, but it can also be incredibly stressful given that it typically puts people on a fixed income, which may not be enough for them to live comfortably,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the study. “As a result, the best states for retirees are those that have low taxes and a low cost of living to help retirees’ budgets stretch as far as possible.”<\/p>\n

WalletHub used data from the US Census Bureau, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other sources.<\/p>\n

These are the states to retire in, ranked from worst to best.<\/p>\n

50. Kentucky<\/p>\n

\"Louisville,<\/p>\n

Louisville, Kentucky.<\/p>\n

alexeys\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 34
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 42
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 47<\/p>\n

With low rankings across all three categories, WalletHub found Kentucky<\/a> to be the worst state for retirees in 2026.<\/p>\n

49. Oklahoma<\/p>\n

\"Oklahoma<\/p>\n

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.<\/p>\n

Sean Pavone\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 31
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 48
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 43<\/p>\n

48. Mississippi<\/p>\n

\"Jackson,<\/p>\n

Jackson, Mississippi.<\/p>\n

Dennis MacDonald\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 9
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 49
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 49<\/p>\n

47. West Virginia<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

Shepherdstown, West Virginia.<\/p>\n

Samuel Frontino\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 18
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 41
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 50<\/p>\n

46. Hawaii<\/p>\n

\"Palm<\/p>\n

Honolulu, Hawaii.<\/p>\n

Iryna Olkhova\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 49
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 21
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 11<\/p>\n

45. New York<\/p>\n

\"Crowds<\/p>\n

New York City, New York.<\/p>\n

Brian Logan\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 50
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 12
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 12<\/p>\n

44. Arkansas<\/p>\n

\"Sunset<\/p>\n

Hot Springs, Arkansas.<\/p>\n

Sean Pavone\/Getty Images\/iStockphoto <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 11
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 50
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 45<\/p>\n

43. Washington<\/p>\n

\"Seattle,<\/p>\n

Seattle, Washington.<\/p>\n

SCStock\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 46
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 17
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 17<\/p>\n

42. Rhode Island<\/p>\n

\"Downtown<\/p>\n

Providence, Rhode Island.<\/p>\n

Sanghwan Kim\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 40
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 39
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 21<\/p>\n

41. New Mexico<\/p>\n

\"Santa<\/p>\n

Santa Fe, New Mexico.<\/p>\n

Sean Pavone\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 30
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 44
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 36<\/p>\n

40. Oregon<\/p>\n

\"Downtown<\/p>\n

Portland, Oregon.<\/p>\n

Nicholas Klein\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 43
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 27
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 24<\/p>\n

39. Louisiana<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

Baton Rouge, Louisiana.<\/p>\n

felixmizioznikov\/Getty Images\/iStockphoto <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 12
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 46
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 46<\/p>\n

38. Illinois<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

Rockford, Illinois.<\/p>\n

GummyBone\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 42
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 14
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 30<\/p>\n

37. Alabama<\/p>\n

\"Downtown<\/p>\n

Mobile, Alabama.<\/p>\n

Cavan Images\/Getty Images\/iStockphoto <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 8
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 43
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 48<\/p>\n

36. Maryland<\/p>\n

\"Small<\/p>\n

Cumberland, Maryland<\/p>\n

PBallay\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 41
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 20
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 22<\/p>\n

35. New Jersey<\/p>\n

\"Newark,<\/p>\n

Newark, New Jersey.<\/p>\n

Leonid Andronov\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 45
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 30
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 9<\/p>\n

34. Connecticut<\/p>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

New Haven, Connecticut.<\/p>\n

Ashley RK Smith\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 44
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 23
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 6<\/p>\n

33. Texas<\/p>\n

\"Downtown<\/p>\n

Austin, Texas.<\/p>\n

BackyardProduction\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 25
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 38
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 39<\/p>\n

32. Tennessee<\/p>\n

\"Tennessee<\/p>\n

Nashville, Tennessee.<\/p>\n

Sean Pavone\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 4
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 47
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 44<\/p>\n

31. Nebraska<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

Lincoln, Nebraska.<\/p>\n

Jacob Boomsma\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 38
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 28
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 19<\/p>\n

30. Vermont<\/p>\n

\"Autumn<\/p>\n

Montpelier, Vermont.<\/p>\n

jenifoto\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 47
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 3
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 10<\/p>\n

29. Georgia<\/p>\n

\"Downtown<\/p>\n

Atlanta, Georgia.<\/p>\n

Sean Pavone\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 16
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 40
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 40<\/p>\n

28. Nevada<\/p>\n

\"Reno,<\/p>\n

Reno, Nevada.<\/p>\n

miroslav_1\/Getty Images\/iStockphoto <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 5
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 45
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 42<\/p>\n

27. Utah<\/p>\n

\"Salt<\/p>\n

Salt Lake City, Utah.<\/p>\n

Sean Pavone\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 35
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 18
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 31<\/p>\n

26. Kansas<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

Topeka, Kansas.<\/p>\n

ChrisBoswell\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 29
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 31
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 35<\/p>\n

25. California<\/p>\n

\"Palm-lined<\/p>\n

Santa Barbara, California.<\/p>\n

Veronica Slavin\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 39
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 22
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 8<\/p>\n

24. Montana<\/p>\n

\"Pedestrians<\/p>\n

Bozeman, Montana.<\/p>\n

GummyBone\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 36
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 10
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 23<\/p>\n

23. Massachusetts<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

Waltham, Massachusetts.<\/p>\n

Bo Shen\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 48
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 2
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 2<\/p>\n

22. Indiana<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

New Albany, Indiana.<\/p>\n

AUSTIN MEURER\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 14
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 35
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 41<\/p>\n

21. Michigan<\/p>\n

\"Boats<\/p>\n

Manistee, Michigan.<\/p>\n

otman lazrak\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 32
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 16
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 29<\/p>\n

20. Ohio<\/p>\n

\"Downtown<\/p>\n

Akron, Ohio.<\/p>\n

Sean Pavone\/Getty Images\/iStockphoto <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 22
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 13
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 38<\/p>\n

19. Maine<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

Camden, Maine.<\/p>\n

AlbertPego\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 37
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 4
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 14<\/p>\n

18. Arizona<\/p>\n

\"Downtown<\/p>\n

Phoenix, Arizona.<\/p>\n

Sean Pavone\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 27
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 32
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 16<\/p>\n

17. South Carolina<\/p>\n

\"Palm-lined<\/p>\n

Charleston, South Carolina.<\/p>\n

Susanne Neumann\/Getty Images\/iStockphoto <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 6
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 37
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 34<\/p>\n

16. Idaho<\/p>\n

\"Historic<\/p>\n

Wallace, Idaho.<\/p>\n

Kirk Fisher\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 21
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 24
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 26<\/p>\n

15. Missouri<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

St Charles, Missouri.<\/p>\n

Perry Spring\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 10
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 29
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 32<\/p>\n

14. North Dakota<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

Bismarck, North Dakota.<\/p>\n

Jacob Boomsma\/Getty Images\/iStockphoto <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 28
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 33
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 7<\/p>\n

13. North Carolina<\/p>\n

\"Uptown<\/p>\n

Charlotte, North Carolina.<\/p>\n

Leonid Andronov\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 7
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 26
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 37<\/p>\n

12. Virginia<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

Williamsburg, Virginia.<\/p>\n

Sean Pavone\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 20
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 15
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 25<\/p>\n

11. Wisconsin<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

Milwaukee, Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

Jon Mattrisch\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 24
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 9
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 18<\/p>\n

10. Iowa<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Cedar Rapids, Iowa.<\/p>\n

Sean Pavone\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 17
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 11
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 28<\/p>\n

9. New Hampshire<\/p>\n

\"River<\/p>\n

Manchester, New Hampshire.<\/p>\n

miroslav_1\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 23
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 8
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 20<\/p>\n

8. Pennsylvania<\/p>\n

\"Pittsburgh<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

Sean Pavone\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 26
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 5
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 13<\/p>\n

7. Delaware<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

Wilmington, Delaware<\/p>\n

Bo Shen\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 3
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 36
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 15<\/p>\n

6. Alaska<\/p>\n

\"Snowy<\/p>\n

Anchorage, Alaska.<\/p>\n

Serhii Horban\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 13
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 34
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 5<\/p>\n

5. Minnesota<\/p>\n

\"Downtown<\/p>\n

Minneapolis, Minnesota.<\/p>\n

Sean Pavone\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 33
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 7
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 1<\/p>\n

4. Colorado<\/p>\n

\"Denver<\/p>\n

Denver, Colorado.<\/p>\n

RudyBalasko\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 19
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 19
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 3<\/p>\n

3. South Dakota<\/p>\n

\"Downtown<\/p>\n

Rapid City, South Dakota.<\/p>\n

otman lazrak\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 15
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 25
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 4<\/p>\n

2. Florida<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

The Villages, Florida.<\/p>\n

felixmizioznikov\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 2
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 1<\/p>\n

Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 27<\/p>\n

1. Wyoming<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

Casper, Wyoming.<\/p>\n

Jacob Boomsma\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Affordability rank:<\/strong> 1
Quality-of-life rank:<\/strong> 6
Healthcare rank:<\/strong> 33<\/p>\n

Wyoming barely edged out Florida for the overall No. 1 spot on WalletHub’s ranking.<\/p>\n

WalletHub also reported the state had the 10th strongest elder-abuse protections<\/a> and the fifth-lowest violent crime rate in the US. It also has the nation’s seventh-lowest poverty rate among residents ages 65 and up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Retirement is full of decisions, and the state you choose to retire in could be the most important…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1035812,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[15],"tags":[8161,414480,64,414479,13332,39259,414478,1142,75703,2252,255,27521,122782,700,191057,290,67,132,68,52815],"class_list":["post-1035811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-personal-finance","tag-affordability","tag-bingo-hall","tag-business","tag-capita","tag-cost","tag-dentist","tag-different-metric","tag-healthcare","tag-labor-statistics","tag-life","tag-personal-finance","tag-quality","tag-retiree","tag-retirement","tag-social-isolation","tag-state","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-us-census-bureau"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117192657973857092","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1035811","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1035811"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1035811\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1035812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1035811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1035811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1035811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}