The Best and Worst US States to Retire in, Ranked

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Retirement is full of decisions, and the state you choose to retire in could be the most important one.

A recent WalletHub study pitted the 50 states against one another across three main categories — affordability, quality of life, and healthcare — to determine the best places for retirement.

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 were considered. Quality of life included metrics such as the risk of social isolation, 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.

“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.”

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.

These are the states to retire in, ranked from worst to best.

50. Kentucky

Louisville, Kentucky.

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Louisville, Kentucky.

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Affordability rank: 34
Quality-of-life rank: 42
Healthcare rank: 47

With low rankings across all three categories, WalletHub found Kentucky to be the worst state for retirees in 2026.

49. Oklahoma

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

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Affordability rank: 31
Quality-of-life rank: 48
Healthcare rank: 43

48. Mississippi

Jackson, Mississippi.

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Affordability rank: 9
Quality-of-life rank: 49
Healthcare rank: 49

47. West Virginia

Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

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Affordability rank: 18
Quality-of-life rank: 41
Healthcare rank: 50

46. Hawaii

Honolulu, Hawaii.

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Affordability rank: 49
Quality-of-life rank: 21
Healthcare rank: 11

45. New York

New York City, New York.

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Affordability rank: 50
Quality-of-life rank: 12
Healthcare rank: 12

44. Arkansas

Hot Springs, Arkansas.

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Affordability rank: 11
Quality-of-life rank: 50
Healthcare rank: 45

43. Washington

Seattle, Washington.

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Affordability rank: 46
Quality-of-life rank: 17
Healthcare rank: 17

42. Rhode Island

Providence, Rhode Island.

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Affordability rank: 40
Quality-of-life rank: 39
Healthcare rank: 21

41. New Mexico

Santa Fe, New Mexico.

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Affordability rank: 30
Quality-of-life rank: 44
Healthcare rank: 36

40. Oregon

Portland, Oregon.

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Affordability rank: 43
Quality-of-life rank: 27
Healthcare rank: 24

39. Louisiana

Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

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Affordability rank: 12
Quality-of-life rank: 46
Healthcare rank: 46

38. Illinois

Rockford, Illinois.

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Affordability rank: 42
Quality-of-life rank: 14
Healthcare rank: 30

37. Alabama

Mobile, Alabama.

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Affordability rank: 8
Quality-of-life rank: 43
Healthcare rank: 48

36. Maryland

Cumberland, Maryland

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Affordability rank: 41
Quality-of-life rank: 20
Healthcare rank: 22

35. New Jersey

Newark, New Jersey.

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Affordability rank: 45
Quality-of-life rank: 30
Healthcare rank: 9

34. Connecticut

New Haven, Connecticut.

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Affordability rank: 44
Quality-of-life rank: 23
Healthcare rank: 6

33. Texas

Austin, Texas.

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Affordability rank: 25
Quality-of-life rank: 38
Healthcare rank: 39

32. Tennessee

Nashville, Tennessee.

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Affordability rank: 4
Quality-of-life rank: 47
Healthcare rank: 44

31. Nebraska

Lincoln, Nebraska.

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Affordability rank: 38
Quality-of-life rank: 28
Healthcare rank: 19

30. Vermont

Montpelier, Vermont.

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Affordability rank: 47
Quality-of-life rank: 3
Healthcare rank: 10

29. Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia.

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Affordability rank: 16
Quality-of-life rank: 40
Healthcare rank: 40

28. Nevada

Reno, Nevada.

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Affordability rank: 5
Quality-of-life rank: 45
Healthcare rank: 42

27. Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah.

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Affordability rank: 35
Quality-of-life rank: 18
Healthcare rank: 31

26. Kansas

Topeka, Kansas.

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Affordability rank: 29
Quality-of-life rank: 31
Healthcare rank: 35

25. California

Santa Barbara, California.

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Affordability rank: 39
Quality-of-life rank: 22
Healthcare rank: 8

24. Montana

Bozeman, Montana.

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Affordability rank: 36
Quality-of-life rank: 10
Healthcare rank: 23

23. Massachusetts

Waltham, Massachusetts.

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Affordability rank: 48
Quality-of-life rank: 2
Healthcare rank: 2

22. Indiana

New Albany, Indiana.

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Affordability rank: 14
Quality-of-life rank: 35
Healthcare rank: 41

21. Michigan

Manistee, Michigan.

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Affordability rank: 32
Quality-of-life rank: 16
Healthcare rank: 29

20. Ohio

Akron, Ohio.

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Affordability rank: 22
Quality-of-life rank: 13
Healthcare rank: 38

19. Maine

Affordability rank: 37
Quality-of-life rank: 4
Healthcare rank: 14

18. Arizona

Phoenix, Arizona.

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Affordability rank: 27
Quality-of-life rank: 32
Healthcare rank: 16

17. South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina.

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Affordability rank: 6
Quality-of-life rank: 37
Healthcare rank: 34

16. Idaho

Wallace, Idaho.

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Affordability rank: 21
Quality-of-life rank: 24
Healthcare rank: 26

15. Missouri

St Charles, Missouri.

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Affordability rank: 10
Quality-of-life rank: 29
Healthcare rank: 32

14. North Dakota

Bismarck, North Dakota.

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Affordability rank: 28
Quality-of-life rank: 33
Healthcare rank: 7

13. North Carolina

Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Affordability rank: 7
Quality-of-life rank: 26
Healthcare rank: 37

12. Virginia

Williamsburg, Virginia.

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Affordability rank: 20
Quality-of-life rank: 15
Healthcare rank: 25

11. Wisconsin

Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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Affordability rank: 24
Quality-of-life rank: 9
Healthcare rank: 18

10. Iowa

Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

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Affordability rank: 17
Quality-of-life rank: 11
Healthcare rank: 28

9. New Hampshire

Manchester, New Hampshire.

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Affordability rank: 23
Quality-of-life rank: 8
Healthcare rank: 20

8. Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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Affordability rank: 26
Quality-of-life rank: 5
Healthcare rank: 13

7. Delaware

Wilmington, Delaware

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Affordability rank: 3
Quality-of-life rank: 36
Healthcare rank: 15

6. Alaska

Anchorage, Alaska.

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Affordability rank: 13
Quality-of-life rank: 34
Healthcare rank: 5

5. Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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Affordability rank: 33
Quality-of-life rank: 7
Healthcare rank: 1

4. Colorado

Denver, Colorado.

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Affordability rank: 19
Quality-of-life rank: 19
Healthcare rank: 3

3. South Dakota

Rapid City, South Dakota.

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Affordability rank: 15
Quality-of-life rank: 25
Healthcare rank: 4

2. Florida

The Villages, Florida.

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Affordability rank: 2
Quality-of-life rank: 1

Healthcare rank: 27

1. Wyoming

Casper, Wyoming.

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Affordability rank: 1
Quality-of-life rank: 6
Healthcare rank: 33

Wyoming barely edged out Florida for the overall No. 1 spot on WalletHub’s ranking.

WalletHub also reported the state had the 10th strongest elder-abuse protections 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.