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Nebraska is best.
That’s the outcome of a new study from financial services company Bankrate that ranked the best — and worst — states in the U.S. to retire. Where was Florida — a retirement haven for a host of reasons, from tax climate to the actual warm climate? The Sunshine State was No. 5, behind the Cornhusker State, Iowa, Missouri and South Dakota.
At the other end of the list, in 46th, 47th, 48th, 49th and 50th places, respectively, were Washington, Illinois, Alaska, New York and Maryland.
The study developed its ranking of the states by analyzing several factors that could affect retirees — attributes that come into play when people in retirement think about a change of home base. Those factors included affordability, crime, culture, weather and wellness. The two factors that carried the most weight in the study were affordability, weighed at 40%, and wellness, weighed at 25%.
The Sunshine State was ranked at No. 2 in terms of weather, only losing out to Hawaii. Florida was awarded the No. 13 place for culture, No. 25 for affordability, No. 29 for crime and No. 31 for wellness.
With Florida ranking high on the list — and because it’s long been known as a retirement destination — residents can likely expect more new Floridians coming across the state border. The study says: “It’s not uncommon for retirees to get a new address after they step away from work. Almost 570,000 adults 65 and older moved to a new state or the District of Columbia during the past year, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau.”
Although it didn’t get its own category, everyone knows pickleball plays into the equation for some retirees, too. The sport might be another reason why Florida fares well with an older demographic. As the study says about Florida: “If you’re looking for retirement-age friends to play pickleball, you’ll have the best chance of finding them in this state where 19% of the population is 65 and older. That’s the largest share of 65+ folks of any state, the data show.”
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