When it comes to retirement destinations, many people look to settle down in sunny Florida or Arizona, but an increasing number of older Americans have their eyes set on the nation’s heartland.
A new Bankrate study says Nebraska may have the greenest pastures of all for retirees. Florida does make the top five, but not ahead of other heartland states Iowa (#2), Missouri (#3) and South Dakota (#4).
Tired of working? Here are the best states for retirees
To come up with the results, BankRate.com weighed a number of factors important to older Americans, including affordability, culture, wellness, and weather.
Maryland was rated the worst state in which to retire, ranking low in metrics like affordability (fourth worst) and crime (18th worst). The one positive mark was Maryland’s weather, which ranked 18th best.
STATE | OVERALL RANK | AFFORDABILITY | CRIME | CULTURE | WEATHER | WELLNESS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Source: Bankrate’s 2019 “Best and worst states for retirement” study | ||||||
Nebraska | 1 | 14 | 19 | 21 | 30 | 8 |
Iowa | 2 | 8 | 15 | 20 | 34 | 12 |
Missouri | 3 | 1 | 42 | 33 | 19 | 27 |
South Dakota | 4 | 17 | 23 | 12 | 39 | 10 |
Florida | 5 | 25 | 29 | 13 | 2 | 31 |
Kentucky | 6 | 9 | 9 | 46 | 15 | 24 |
Kansas | 7 | 7 | 39 | 37 | 20 | 21 |
North Carolina | 7 | 13 | 28 | 28 | 12 | 33 |
Montana | 9 | 16 | 31 | 2 | 45 | 20 |
Hawaii | 10 | 45 | 24 | 9 | 1 | 9 |
Arkansas | 11 | 4 | 46 | 39 | 9 | 34 |
Wisconsin | 12 | 20 | 15 | 17 | 43 | 7 |
North Dakota | 13 | 22 | 17 | 26 | 49 | 2 |
Vermont | 14 | 42 | 1 | 3 | 44 | 1 |
New Hampshire | 15 | 39 | 1 | 4 | 41 | 3 |
Alabama | 16 | 10 | 44 | 44 | 7 | 31 |
Texas | 17 | 24 | 37 | 50 | 4 | 13 |
Idaho | 18 | 15 | 4 | 30 | 42 | 15 |
Mississippi | 19 | 6 | 24 | 49 | 6 | 40 |
Wyoming | 20 | 23 | 9 | 13 | 46 | 11 |
Oklahoma | 21 | 11 | 41 | 43 | 11 | 35 |
Tennessee | 22 | 12 | 46 | 34 | 14 | 35 |
Massachusetts | 23 | 43 | 11 | 9 | 33 | 4 |
Michigan | 24 | 1 | 22 | 35 | 40 | 43 |
West Virginia | 25 | 18 | 18 | 27 | 24 | 39 |
Ohio | 26 | 5 | 19 | 29 | 26 | 47 |
Rhode Island | 27 | 44 | 8 | 5 | 28 | 16 |
Georgia | 28 | 19 | 35 | 45 | 5 | 44 |
Indiana | 29 | 3 | 27 | 41 | 25 | 46 |
Connecticut | 30 | 46 | 7 | 8 | 29 | 5 |
Maine | 31 | 35 | 3 | 1 | 48 | 18 |
Delaware | 32 | 30 | 36 | 9 | 16 | 41 |
Colorado | 33 | 36 | 32 | 22 | 37 | 6 |
Pennsylvania | 34 | 28 | 13 | 15 | 31 | 28 |
Utah | 35 | 21 | 21 | 47 | 32 | 17 |
Louisiana | 36 | 29 | 48 | 48 | 3 | 25 |
New Mexico | 37 | 26 | 49 | 38 | 21 | 22 |
Arizona | 38 | 33 | 43 | 39 | 10 | 29 |
Virginia | 39 | 32 | 6 | 36 | 17 | 42 |
Minnesota | 40 | 31 | 14 | 31 | 47 | 14 |
South Carolina | 41 | 27 | 45 | 22 | 8 | 50 |
New Jersey | 42 | 48 | 5 | 16 | 22 | 23 |
California | 43 | 49 | 34 | 17 | 13 | 19 |
Oregon | 44 | 37 | 30 | 6 | 35 | 45 |
Nevada | 45 | 34 | 40 | 17 | 27 | 48 |
Washington | 46 | 41 | 37 | 25 | 36 | 37 |
Illinois | 47 | 40 | 26 | 32 | 23 | 49 |
Alaska | 48 | 38 | 49 | 24 | 50 | 26 |
New York | 49 | 50 | 11 | 7 | 38 | 30 |
Maryland | 50 | 47 | 33 | 42 | 18 | 37 |
Older Americans aren’t just crunching the numbers when it comes to retirement. There are many other factors that influence where to retire.
“Some people may choose to stay close to family, while others prefer to seek out warm weather or affordable living,” Bankrate.com data analyst Adrian Garcia says. “It comes down to very personal preferences, so it’s important to weigh all factors and determine what is most important for your happiness.”
Want to learn how to stretch your dollars now for later? Here's how to maximize your retirement savings in 2019.
More Clark.com articles you may enjoy:
- Saving for retirement: Why you might not need as much as you think
- Do you know what your income streams will be in retirement?
- Retire sooner using the 'Fill the Gap' strategy
The post The best and worst states to retire to in 2019 appeared first on Clark Howard.
Clark.com