New England State Rises to Top in 2025 Best States for Retirement List
Retirees are preferring New England for retirement living, while Sun Belt states are among the bottom states to spend the golden years in.
That’s according to Bankrate, which this week released its rankings on the top and worst states for retirees to live in.
The media platform compared all 50 states across 15 data points that spanned eight categories, including affordability, weather, safety, healthcare, taxes, arts and entertainment, people of a similar age, and miscellaneous/other, which comprised of community wellbeing and walkability factors.
It used a national opinion survey to understand how the public prioritized each category and asked respondents to select their top three choices. Affordability (28%), weather (18%), and safety (17%) were among the leading three categories, while miscellaneous/other (2%), people of a similar age (3%), and arts and entertainment (7%), ranked in the bottom three.
While warm weather and a temperate climate ranked among the highest, the findings showed a clear preference for affordability, healthcare quality and neighborhood safety, according to Bankrate.
New Hampshire, which last year ranked #38 in Bankrate’s findings, scored the top spot this year due to its strong standings in neighborhood safety, healthcare, taxes, and residents of similar ages.
Meanwhile, Alaska was kicked off as the worst state for retirees to live in, instead replaced by Louisiana. The southern state scored low marks in neighborhood safety, affordability, weather, and healthcare.
“Our survey results may be shocking to any retirees who only considered warm weather and income taxes in their relocation plans,” said Bankrate Financial Analyst Stephen Kates, CFP. “This year, we asked Americans about quality of life factors that are vital to their satisfaction in retirement, such as entertainment, safety, and walkability. By incorporating Americans’ own retirement priorities with our analysis of 15 different data points, we are able to give a comprehensive perspective on the true costs of retirement across different states.”
Read on to find out which states scored among the top and bottom rankings.
NEXT: Leading 10 States
