Everyone knows Florida has its fair share of retirees.
But are some cities in the state better than others for retirees to call home? A new SmartAsset study looks to answer that question, ranking the best places to retire in the Sunshine State.
The west coast of Florida is a big winner on the list, claiming five of the spots in the top 10.
The study examined factors including tax rates; the quantity of venues important to retirees: the number of doctors’ offices; recreation centers; and retirement centers. It also looked at the actual number of seniors living in the area as a percentage of the population.
No. 1 on the ranking is a known hot spot for the rich and retired: Naples. Here 51.5% of the population is seniors and there are 28.1 doctors’ offices per 1,000 people. For its attributes, the city earned a score of 100 on the best places to retire index.
New Port Richey came in at No. 2, with the percentage of seniors living in the city dropping to 25.5%. The list of the top 10 cities was rounded out by Venice at No. 8, Sarasota at No. 9 and Sun City Center at No. 10. Sun City Center in Hillsborough County has the distinction of the largest percentage of seniors among the top 10, with 73.7%.
City Percent of seniors Index
Naples 51.5% 100
New Port Richey 25.5% 64.13
Orange Park 21.7% 62.27
Brooksville 27.5% 59.81
Inverness 39.8% 58.97
Vero Beach 27.3% 57.15
Stuart 25.8% 56.68
Venice 61.1% 56.27
Sarasota 26.5% 53.60
Sun City Center 73.7% 50.37