Are you dreaming of the day when you can say good-bye to the office for good and head to a beach where you can spend your days enjoying retirement? Well, if you want to make the best of your retirement days, you may want to rethink that beach and head to…New Hampshire?
Bankrate.com looked at eight key factors - cost of living, healthcare quality, crime, cultural vitality, weather, taxes, senior citizens' well-being and the prevalence of other seniors – to determine the best states in the U.S. to retire and New Hampshire tops the list. The state ranks second for well-being, plus they have the third-lowest crime rate, and fourth-best healthcare quality. New Hampshire is such a good spot for retirees, that it earned the number one position despite having the sixth-worst weather in the country.
Ten Best States For Retirement
- New Hampshire
- Colorado
- Maine
- Iowa
- Minnesota
- Virginia
- Massachusetts
- South Dakota
- Wisconsin
- Idaho
On the flipside, Alaska is the worst state for retirees, mostly because it lands dead last for weather and percentage of senior citizens. It also has the second-highest crime rate in the nation, the third-highest cost-of living, and are the fifth-worst when it comes to healthcare.
Ten Worst States For Retirement
- Alaska
- West Virginia
- Arkansas
- New Mexico
- Louisiana
- Kentucky
- Nevada
- Oklahoma
- California
- Mississippi
- ONE MORE THING! The Bankrate survey also finds that a lot of folks are willing to relocate for retirement. In fact, 47% of those surveyed say they’d consider moving somewhere else when they're ready to stop working. One of the biggest factors when choosing a place to retire is cost of living (70%), followed by healthcare (68%) and crime (67%).
Source: Bankrate.com