10 States That Attract the Most Retirees – Voting with Their Feet

IMO - there should be another column in the chart for quality and access to healthcare.

Editor's comment: Thanks JoannL, I wish there was a good way to provide that. The problem is with this (and other factors like crime) is that is very hard to generalize when it comes to an entire state. There are some states with the very best medical care, but it tends to be concentrated in a few metropolitan areas. Almost every state has a university hospital that is probably top notch. The best approach is to make sure that you choose a place to live that has easy access to good medical care.

While I understand that Ashville was mentioned as being in NCs mountains because it is a very popular retirement place, it's almost a shame that it represents 250 miles of mountains from NE to SW NC. (Asheville is about 1/3 of the way from the SW corner.). There are so many wonderful small towns and large towns and communities in that stretch and across the great breadth of the NC mountains. No question though, be sure first about your health care options -- access can be limited.

Re the healthcare question, perhaps you could look at each state's statistics for the doctor-to-patient ratio. For instance, Idaho is considered a "medically underserved" state. After living here few short years, two of my doctors have left the state, one promised I would be assigned to a doctor from the office pool of doctors but instead I had for a few years a nurse practitioner (who took good care of me) until I selected another office to have a doctor, but that doctor left the state, leaving me with "whomever can fit me in" from the pool of doctors. Although I am thankfully relatively healthy, we are in a global pandemic, and not having a personal doctor feels like floating in a healthcare boat with no oars. A state-by-state statistical list of doctor-to-patient ratios would be most helpful when considering moving, especially as we age and need more health services.

For hubs and me the best state for our retirement is Pennsylvania, specifically eastern Pa. The reasons why are: close to family and old friends across the river in NJ, more tax friendly for retirees, excellent healthcare, easy access to both Philly and NYC (by car or train), really good libraries, lots of ethnic restaurants, and easy to find great rye, pumpernickel, and crusty Italian breads (all made with only 3 or 4 simple ingredients - flour, yeast, salt and maybe caraway or sesame seeds). Added bonus, the only major climatic treat is snow and that melts. We sure would also like year round warm weather but after many visits to Fl (both coasts multiple times), and the Carolinas and Ga (coasts, lakes and mountains) and living in SC for a while we never found a place that offered those little things that we enjoy. There are many wonderful places to visit in the Southeast and we look forward to our snowbird trips in the winter and probably Fall or Spring trips to the Smokies.

Jean,

My hub and I are considering leaving SC (where we initially retired) and moving to eastern PA for the same reasons you cited. Where in Bucks county did you retire to? I am currently looking in Bucks in addition to some other counties, but not much is on the market now. You are so right -- it's the small enjoyable things that make a difference!

Fionna

Fionna,
We are in Newtown. We rented a townhouse here for a year and contacted a realtor after about 6 months to start the find-a-house process. The market here is such that houses sell quickly so it's good to be nearby when house hunting. We also drove up to Bethlehem and seriously considered buying up there; there was a new 55+ just starting up that is just now starting to actually built and another community by the same builder looks lovely. Also, a b-i-l and s-i-l just bought a townhouse in Easton.

Tornadoes are not listed in Florida, yet they have more than any other state. Yes, it's a fact. They just are usually not the strong ones OK or KS get. So instead of wiping out a whole small town they wipe out a couple of blocks. Significant if you live on one of those. Florida also has the most lighting strikes of all the states. So listing hurricanes as its only natural problem is wrong.

Thanks for the info. Jean. Newtown is a great area and we are also open to looking in the other places you mentioned, like Easton. We lived in Flemington NJ for 13 yrs. and know the area well. Your mention of crusty Italian bread makes my mouth water!

I live in S Florida. We do not get more tornadoes than Tenn or Ok. We do however have the most lighting strikes.

whoo hoo ! we live on Long Island, NY and tornadoes are forecasted as a possibilty today with 3" of rain predicted ! so much for where ya live...

A lot of folks I knew in Delaware retired across the border in Pennsylvania - where pensions aren't taxed. HOWEVER, now that my father has recently passed away, we are dealing with an ungodly amount of paperwork for the state! All of his beneficiaries live in other states where they clearly define Inheritance Tax vs Estate Tax but PA lumps them together and taxes everything. They have made sure to get you coming and going! I don't know if this might make a difference in your living plans but I wanted to throw it out there - so you can be prepared.

Flatearth’s story about tax chickens coming home to roost in PA is a reminder that states must pay for their services somehow. Florida has no state income tax, for example, but SC and other states are more “tax friendly” for retirees.

If one goes to a state with no or low taxes, then expect no services when you need them the most.
Florida has a hefty property tax to make up for other taxes it does not have.

Editor's note: Actually, according to Tax-rates.org, Florida has the 22nd highest property taxes at 0.97% of home value. Texas, which has no state income tax, does have high property taxes and is ranked #3.