2024’s best & worst places to retire

Published 7:47 am Tuesday, March 12, 2024

With only 27% of workers reporting that they are “very confident” they will have enough money for retirement, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2024’s Best & Worst Places to Retire, as well as expert commentary.

To help Americans plan for a comfortable retirement without breaking the bank, WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S. cities across 45 key measures of affordability, quality of life, health care and availability of recreational activities. The data set ranges from the cost of living to retired taxpayer-friendliness to the state’s health infrastructure.

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Best Cities to Retire

1. Tampa, FL

2. Scottsdale, AZ

3. Fort Lauderdale, FL

4. Orlando, FL

5. Miami, FL

6. Casper, WY

7. Denver, CO

8. Cincinnati, OH

9. Charleston, SC

10. Atlanta, GA

Worst Cities to Retire

173. Baltimore, MD

174. Vancouver, WA

175. Rancho Cucamonga, CA

176. Wichita, KS

177. Bridgeport, CT

178. Detroit, MI

179. San Bernardino, CA

180. Bakersfield, CA

181. Newark, NJ

182. Stockton, CA

Best vs. Worst

– Pearl City, Hawaii, has the highest share of the population aged 65 and older, 25.50 percent, which is 3.2 times higher than in Irving, Texas, the city with the lowest at 8.00 percent.

– Brownsville, Texas, has the lowest adjusted cost-of-living index for retirees, 75.39, which is 2.4 times lower than in Honolulu and Pearl City, Hawaii, the cities with the highest at 182.16.

– Plano, Texas, has the highest share of workers aged 65 and older, 26.73 percent, which is 2.4 times higher than in Gulfport, Mississippi, the city with the lowest at 11.10 percent. 

– St. Louis has the most home health care facilities (per 100,000 residents), 79.26, which is 28.8 times more than in New York, the city with the fewest at 2.75.