The index tallies up factors in counties with a growing 65-plus population
Retirement may be the time to move closer to family or put down new roots in a warm climate.
Helping make that decision a bit easier is an index of the best places to retire in each of the 50 states.
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Suggesting locales from Alaska’s majestic Kenai Peninsula to Arizona’s desert Pima County, the index weighed health costs, taxes and housing expenses, all significant for retirees likely to be living on fixed and reduced incomes.
“Because of the medical, social, and financial consequences of entering old age, life can change dramatically in retirement,” said 24/7 Wall St., an online financial news site that created the index.
Among the best spots were Arkansas’ Baxter County in the Ozark Mountains; Chaffee County in the Colorado Rockies; and Park County, Wyoming, home to Yellowstone National Park.
Lovers of sun and sand could find a haven on the beaches of Delaware’s Sussex County, Florida’s Sarasota County or Beaufort County, South Carolina, and fishing fans might opt for Louisiana’s Jefferson Parish on the Gulf of Mexico or the lakes and ponds of Cumberland County, Maine.
The index took into consideration health factors such as the number of medical professionals per capita and access to exercise opportunities. Economic factors included median home values, the monthly cost of living and state and local taxes.
It only considered counties where the 65-and-over population grew at least as fast as the rest of the nation and was larger than the national average.
Demand for retirement locales will only grow bigger. The U.S. Census Bureau says by 2035, the number of adults age 65 and over will hit 78 million and outnumber children under age 18.
The best place to retire in each state
| State | Population | 65 and over % | Est. monthly expenses for family of 2 | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama: Baldwin County | 203,360 | 19.0% (15th of 67 counties) | $4,343.67 (2nd out of 67 counties) | $182,000 |
| Alaska: Kenai Peninsula Borough | 57,961 | 14.8% (5th of 29 borough) | $5,341.27 (14th out of 29 counties) | $234,600 |
| Arizona: Pima County | 1,007,257 | 18.1% (7th of 15 counties) | $3,876.65 (14th out of 15 counties) | $166,300 |
| Arkansas: Baxter County | 41,093 | 30.5% (1st of 75 counties) | $3,478.55 (39th out of 75 counties) | $124,400 |
| California: Plumas County | 18,724 | 25.8% (4th of 58 counties) | $4,201.70 (32nd out of 58 counties) | $228,900 |
| Colorado: Chaffee County | 18,818 | 24.1% (10th of 64 counties) | $4,197.89 (37th out of 64 counties) | $313,200 |
| Connecticut: Hartford County | 897,417 | 16.2% (4th of 8 counties) | $4,257.11 (8th out of 8 counties) | $235,300 |
| Delaware: Sussex County | 215,551 | 25.2% (1st of 3 counties) | $4,249.98 (3rd out of 3 counties) | $242,900 |
| Florida: Sarasota County | 404,839 | 34.8% (4th of 67 counties) | $4,156.50 (19th out of 67 counties) | $215,300 |
| Georgia: Towns County | 11,173 | 33.6% (1st of 159 counties) | $4,103.24 (49th out of 159 counties) | $197,900 |
| Hawaii: Hawaii County | 196,325 | 18.5% (1st of 5 counties) | $4,848.14 (5th out of 5 counties) | $316,000 |
| Idaho: Valley County | 10,104 | 24.6% (6th of 44 counties) | $3,917.45 (11th out of 44 counties) | $258,000 |
| Illinois: Sangamon County | 198,134 | 16.1% (80th of 102 counties) | $3,979.79 (66th out of 102 counties) | $136,100 |
| Indiana: Warrick County | 61,581 | 16.1% (57th of 92 counties) | $3,990.13 (6th out of 92 counties) | $158,100 |
| Iowa: Winneshiek County | 20,575 | 18.7% (61st of 99 counties) | $4,143.31 (8th out of 99 counties) | $161,500 |
| Kansas: Harvey County | 34,683 | 18.4% (63rd of 105 counties) | $3,864.68 (72nd out of 105 counties) | $120,200 |
| Kentucky: Daviess County | 99,258 | 16.2% (73rd of 120 counties) | $3,649.43 (57th out of 120 counties) | $123,200 |
| Louisiana: Jefferson Parish | 437,038 | 15.6% (25th of 64 parishes) | $4,036.27 (19th out of 64 counties) | $176,000 |
| Maine: Cumberland County | 289,173 | 16.8% (15th of 16 counties) | $4,721.10 (1st out of 16 counties) | $259,400 |
| Maryland: Worcester County | 51,559 | 26.2% (2nd of 24 counties) | $4,171.72 (16th out of 24 counties) | $252,100 |
| Massachusetts: Hampshire County | 161,197 | 15.3% (10th of 14 counties) | $4,639.86 (9th out of 14 counties) | $272,700 |
| Michigan: Emmet County | 32,978 | 20.2% (33rd of 83 counties) | $3,849.82 (29th out of 83 counties) | $171,100 |
| Minnesota: Cook County | 5,270 | 26.1% (2nd of 87 counties) | $4,284.08 (23rd out of 87 counties) | $241,400 |
| Mississippi: Lauderdale County | 78,221 | 15.7% (45th of 82 counties) | $3,620.78 (65th out of 82 counties) | $88,500 |
| Missouri: St. Louis County | 999,539 | 16.9% (79th of 115 counties) | $3,897.75 (74th out of 115 counties) | $181,100 |
| Montana: Lewis and Clark County | 66,290 | 16.6% (44th of 56 counties) | $4,290.89 (9th out of 56 counties) | $220,600 |
| Nebraska: Nuckolls County | 4,318 | 26.7% (5th of 93 counties) | $4,311.88 (41st out of 93 counties) | $62,300 |
| Nevada: Douglas County | 47,632 | 25.4% (4th of 17 counties) | $4,277.85 (9th out of 17 counties) | $311,400 |
| New Hampshire: Grafton County | 89,280 | 18.8% (5th of 10 counties) | $4,092.95 (6th out of 10 counties) | $215,600 |
| New Jersey: Hunterdon County | 125,717 | 16.5% (4th of 21 counties) | $5,346.02 (1st out of 21 counties) | $393,800 |
| New Mexico: Los Alamos County | 18,031 | 17.2% (20th of 33 counties) | $3,934.80 (4th out of 33 counties) | $285,300 |
| New York: Warren County | 64,701 | 20.3% (5th of 62 counties) | $4,330.03 (23rd out of 62 counties) | $192,800 |
| North Carolina: Buncombe County | 252,268 | 18.4% (49th of 100 counties) | $4,329.91 (37th out of 100 counties) | $209,800 |
| North Dakota: Ramsey County | 11,574 | 18.8% (33rd of 53 counties) | $3,703.54 (51st out of 53 counties) | $130,400 |
| Ohio: Cuyahoga County | 1,257,401 | 17.0% (43rd of 88 counties) | $3,458.20 (78th out of 88 counties) | $123,900 |
| Oklahoma: Garfield County | 62,421 | 15.2% (60th of 77 counties) | $3,882.56 (64th out of 77 counties) | $104,000 |
| Oregon: Lane County | 363,471 | 17.7% (23rd of 36 counties) | $4,034.99 (29th out of 36 counties) | $232,800 |
| Pennsylvania: Montour County | 18,302 | 20.1% (20th of 67 counties) | $4,378.06 (16th out of 67 counties) | $173,800 |
| Rhode Island: Bristol County | 49,028 | 19.1% (2nd of 5 counties) | $4,451.59 (2nd out of 5 counties) | $341,300 |
| South Carolina: Beaufort County | 179,316 | 24.9% (3rd of 46 counties) | $4,702.03 (1st out of 46 counties) | $283,800 |
| South Dakota: Hughes County | 17,572 | 15.6% (50th of 66 counties) | $3,814.69 (62nd out of 66 counties) | $173,400 |
| Tennessee: Washington County | 126,437 | 17.1% (62nd of 95 counties) | $3,609.55 (82nd out of 95 counties) | $152,800 |
| Texas: Gillespie County | 25,939 | 28.7% (8th of 254 counties) | $3,750.25 (125th out of 254 counties) | $269,900 |
| Utah: Washington County | 155,577 | 19.9% (3rd of 29 counties) | $4,040.76 (14th out of 29 counties) | $240,300 |
| Vermont: Bennington County | 36,054 | 21.4% (2nd of 14 counties) | $4,641.36 (10th out of 14 counties) | $208,600 |
| Virginia: Winchester City | 27,516 | 15.2% (97th of 133 counties) | $4,005.88 (73rd out of 133 counties) | $226,200 |
| Washington: Chelan County | 75,138 | 17.6% (22nd of 39 counties) | $3,839.28 (16th out of 39 counties) | $256,400 |
| West Virginia: Ohio County | 42,906 | 20.2% (18th of 55 counties) | $3,779.52 (54th out of 55 counties) | $114,800 |
| Wisconsin: Wood County | 73,427 | 19.2% (28th of 72 counties) | $3,754.34 (51st out of 72 counties) | $127,700 |
| Wyoming: Park County | 29,276 | 20.4% (5th of 23 counties) | $4,269.06 (11th out of 23 counties) | $236,200 |
