2025 will see the greatest surge of Americans turning 65, with an average of more than 11,000 people reaching the milestone every day.
For a large share of those Americans, retirement is on the mind. And where they choose to retire could have a big impact on their future happiness and peace of mind.
Enter WalletHub, which made a list of the best and worst states to retire to in 2025.
WalletHub looked at 46 key indicators of retirement-friendliness, analyzing all 50 states by three dimensions: affordability, quality of life, and health care.
It looked at everything from retired taxpayer friendliness, the annual cost of in-home services, the risk of social isolation, crime rates, and the amount of home health aides. It even looked at bingo halls per capita.
“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,” said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. “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.”
“Having access to excellent medical care and homemaking services is also crucial, especially for people who don’t plan to retire in close proximity to their families,” Lupo added.
Continue reading to see which 5 states were ranked the best — and which were ranked the worst.
