Customize Your Own Worst Retirement States

Use these lists to customize your own “Worst Retirement States” list for 2012. For example, if you don’t have much income to be taxed, you can factor out the states with the highest income taxes. The fact of the matter is you won’t see enormous differences – most of the worst states are balanced in being unattractive to retirees for a number of reasons.

Ignore Fiscal Health
These are the worst retirement states if you do NOT want to consider fiscal health considerations:
1. CT
2. VT
3. MA
4. RI
5. NJ
6. MN
7. IL
8. NY
9. WI
10. NE

Ignore Property Taxes
These are the worst retirement states if you do NOT want to consider property taxes:
1. IL
2. CT
3. RI
4. MN
5. MA
6. VT
7. NJ
8. NY
9. WV
10. WI

Ignore Income Taxes
These are the worst retirement states if you do NOT want to consider income taxes (in other words, these states either do not have an income tax or it would not negatively affect our hypothetical couple):
1. IL
2. NH
3. NJ
4. CT
5. RI
6. NY
7. VT
8. MA
9. MN
10. CA

Ignore Climate
These are the worst retirement states if you do NOT want to consider climate:
1. CT
2. IL
3. RI
4. MA
5. VT
6. NJ
7. MN
8. CA
9. OR
10. NH

Ignore Cost of Living
These are the worst retirement states if you do NOT want to consider cost of living:
1. CT
2. IL
3. RI
4. MN
5. WI
6. MA
7. VT
8. NJ
9. WV
10. NE