Home

How Do We Sort Through All Those “Best Places to Retire” Lists?

Save as PDF

Here at the headquarters of the Blog, we scour the web every week for articles to share. In doing so, we’ve noticed a trend: almost every other day, someone will publish a new list of “Best Places to Retire.”

The choices, not to mention the underlying criteria, can seem a bit overwhelming. There are “Best Places” lists for big cities, small cities, beach towns, and college towns. There are lists of foreign countries that welcome retirees (Montenegro and Cyprus have been recently featured) and places where a retiree can live affordably (Mexico, yes – France, not so much). There are lists of destinations sorted by best weather, lowest crime rate, most senior-friendly tax structure, and greatest availability of affordable housing.

No matter where you might have considered relocating to in retirement, your chosen community is probably on a “Best Places” list somewhere. But are these lists helpful? How can we even answer that question? To help us, we’re turning to well-known retirement writer Richard Eisenberg and this recent article on the subject from NextAvenue.

“There’s an avalanche of lists, each with its own winners and criteria,” Eisenberg writes — “here’s how to make sense of them.”  Let’s see if he can clear up the confusion.

Before Checking out the “Best Places to Retire” Lists, Buckle Up!

Eisenberg begins with the wry observation of just how fast these “Best Places to Retire” lists have proliferated online. “There are now at least 16 such lists,” he writes, “from names you know, like U.S. News and Forbes, to ones you might not, like Niche and Seniorly, and personal finance sites like Bankrate, The Motley Fool and WalletHub. A new list seems to come out monthly, with top spots that may surprise or puzzle you.”

William Barrett, architect of these lists for Forbes, quips, “I’m sure we all look at each other’s lists and say, ‘How did they put that place on it?'”

Barret is correct to be befuddled, because the sheer variety and contrast of locations featured on these lists can be a bit dizzying, from Florida to Nebraska, Delaware to Alaska, Belize to Bali. Some compare cities, some compare states, and some even think globally. It can be a lot to take in.  

Why Are There So Many Best-Retirement Lists?

In good humor, Eisenberg accepts a bit of blame for the current “listomania”, as he was the creator of Money’s Best Places to Live in America in the 1980s.

But that said, choosing where to live in retirement is “one of the biggest and costliest decisions for that next chapter and moving for retirement is growing more popular,” he writes.

In a 2024 survey from the HireAHelper moving company, the number of Americans moving to retire in 2023 vs. 2022 increased by 44 percent. Additionally, 25 percent of those moving for retirement crossed state lines. “Florida was the top destination for retirees moving out of state,” says Miranda Marquit, a spokesperson for HireAHelper.

“Best Places” Lists Can Vary Widely – and Can’t Cover Everything

Eisenberg scrutinized the lists and talked to people who constructed some of them, and discovered two things: “The first is that each list uses its own criteria — sometimes weird criteria — which might not match your priorities,” he writes. “The second is that even the ‘best’ places aren’t best for everything. For instance, Naples, Florida, ranked No. 1 by U.S. News but scored only 3.6 out of 10 for health care.”

Alex Gailey, the lead data reporter for BankRate’s Best States to Retire feature, says, “Arming yourself with a Best Places to Retire ranking can help empower you to make a more informed decision. And I think it’s ultimately a very personal decision.”

Susannah Snider, managing editor, Money at U.S. News, adds, “Where you retire is going to be determined not just by what you might see on a rankings list, but maybe by where your family is, what you envision your retirement looking like and what you want to prioritize with your free time.”

Natural Disasters Affect Retirement Destination Rankings

Along with other factors, climate change and natural disaster risks have been playing a more prominent role in many Best Places to Retire Lists. “The recent Los Angeles fires and the hurricanes and floods in Asheville, North Carolina, and parts of Florida demonstrate why,” Eisenberg writes.  

Some people relocate because they fear the impact of climate change, or earthquakes, or extreme weather. As Eisenberg adds, “HireAHelper’s retiree migration survey found that moves prompted by natural disasters rose by 45 percent last year.”

Use Caution in Evaluating a “Best Places to Retire” List

A listing of the offerings from several outlets follows, but first, Eisenberg provides four “don’ts” about using Best Places to Retire lists. His warnings:

Don’t get overly excited about a winning place until you study the methodology that went into its ranking. Ask yourself: “Did they just pull this list out of thin air?” says Marquit. Eisenberg warns that if a “Best Places” rater doesn’t disclose how the list was compiled, ignore the results.

Don’t move to a new area for retirement without first spending time living there for at least a few weeks – ideally much longer. “There’s nothing that can replicate the experience of physically being in a city,” Snider says. “Even within a city, there are all sorts of neighborhoods with different vibes, access to transportation, dining, health care — all of it.”

Don’t overrate the distinction between one place’s rank and another on a list’s Top 10. “The differences between the Top 10 usually aren’t that large,” says Jack Caporal, research director at The Motley Fool, which ranks the best states for retirement.

Don’t forget that Best States to Retire lists include cities and towns that can be markedly different in many ways. This is especially true for the crime rate, according to Eisenberg. “New York City crime data is going to look really different than if you live in upstate New York,” says Gailey. “Once you have a sense of what state crime data looks like, it may empower you to take a more granular look at what crime looks like in a specific city or town you’re interested in.”

Compiling the List of “Best Places” Lists

Writing in NextAvenue, Eisenberg goes into more detail about these lists than we have space for here. But we’ve included several major media outlets with links to their “Best Places to Retire” lists, just for comparison. We encourage you to visit the NextAvenue article if you want more info.

U.S. News: “2025 Best Places to Retire” – Its Top 5: Naples, Florida; Virginia Beach, Virginia.; New York City; Sarasota, Florida; Boise, Idaho, and Raleigh, North Carolina.

Forbes:Best Places to Retire in 2024” and “25 Best Places to Enjoy Your Retirement in 2024” – Forbes published two Best Places to Retire lists last year and the 25 winners in each are not ranked. They’re listed alphabetically — from Athens, Georgia, to Yuma, Arizona, on the Best Places to Retire list and from Annapolis, Maryland, to Washington, D.C., on the Best Places to Enjoy Your Retirement list.

BankRate: “Best and Worst States to Retire in 2024” – Its Top 5: Delaware, West Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina and Missouri. The Top 5 places are financially friendlier for retirees, says the article. Florida didn’t make the cut due to skyrocketing real estate costs.

Motley Fool: “The Best and Worst States to Retire to in 2025” – Its Top 5: Florida, Nebraska, Maryland, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Realtor.com:America’s Top 10 Retirement Towns for 2024” – Its Top 5: Sun City Center, Florida (a community near Tampa for people aged 55 and older); Green Valley, Arizona (a retirement community south of Tucson); King City, Oregon (a community near Portland for people aged 55 and older); The Villages, Florida (a planned retirement community) and Manchester, New Jersey (home to three large retirement communities).

WalletHub: “Best and Worst States to Retire” and “Best and Worst Places to Retire” – The Top 5 states are Florida, Minnesota, Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota. Four of the Top 5 places are in Florida: Orlando (No. 1), Miami (No. 2), Tampa (No. 4) and Fort Lauderdale (No. 5). Minneapolis is No. 3.

Just for fun, we’re including this list of Best Places to Retire Overseas that we just discovered this week. The Top 5: Mexico, Greece, Colombia, Portugal, and Spain. According to the website that compiled it (LiveandInvestOverseas.com), the list emphasizes “havens that welcome expats with open arms,” offering “better weather, slower paces of life, vibrant culture, and lower costs of living.” So – take a look and see if being an expat is for you.

Bottom line: if you’re genuinely searching for ideas on where to live, or if you just like to daydream, these lists can be fun and potentially useful. Happy hunting!

Rajiv Nagaich – Your Retirement Planning Coach and Guide

The long-awaited book by Rajiv Nagaich, called Your Retirement: Dream or Disaster, has been released and is now available to the public. Retirement: Dream or Disaster joins Rajiv’s ground-breaking DVD series and workbook, Master Your Future, as a powerful planning tool in your retirement toolbox. As a friend of AgingOptions, we know you’ll want to get your copy and spread the word.

You’ve heard Rajiv say it repeatedly: 70 percent of retirement plans will fail. If you know someone whose retirement turned into a nightmare when they were forced into a nursing home, went broke paying for care, or became a burden to their families – and you want to make sure it doesn’t happen to you – then this book is must-read.

Through stories, examples, and personal insights, Rajiv takes us along on his journey of expanding awareness about a problem that few are willing to talk about, yet it’s one that results in millions of Americans sleepwalking their way into their worst nightmares about aging. Rajiv lays bare the shortcomings of traditional retirement planning advice, exposes the biases many professionals have about what is best for older adults, and much more.

Rajiv then offers a solution: LifePlanning, his groundbreaking approach to retirement planning. Rajiv explains the essential planning steps and, most importantly, how to develop the framework for these elements to work in concert toward your most deeply held retirement goals.

Your retirement can be the exciting and fulfilling life you’ve always wanted it to be. Start by reading and sharing Rajiv’s important message. And remember, Age On, everyone!

(originally reported at www.nextavenue.org)

Need assistance planning for your successful retirement? Give us a call! 1.877.762.4464

Learn how 70% of retirement plans fail and what you can do to avoid this.

Find out more about LifePlanning

0
Your Cart is empty!

It looks like you haven't added any items to your cart yet.

Browse Products
Powered by Caddy
Skip to content