I’m Thinking About Retiring in: New Hampshire, Vermont, or Maine
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
October 18, 2021 – Editors Note: This is part of our series comparing various states as places to retire, such as “Dueling Carolinas: NC vs. SC for Retirement“. There is a list of all of “Dueling” comparisons at the end of this article. We welcome ideas for future ones.
Not everybody heads to the Sunbelt once they hit retirement age. Many people don’t mind cold weather, and they love the idea of being in a state with mountains and a beautiful natural environment. Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont are extremely popular choices that fit that bill; each state has many admirers. Many snowbirds live in these northern New England states and get the best of both worlds by heading south in the winter (and a few people do the reverse).
This article will first compare some basic facts about retirement in each state. In Part 2 you will see the actual (slightly edited for space) words of Topretirements Members who have lived or retired in each state, so you see what they are like straight from the horse’s mouth. Concerning those comments, we got a big surprise using a new tool that allowed us to see which states were mentioned the most. We assumed the most popular state in the comments would be New Hampshire, which has a reputation for being tax-friendly. To our surprise, Maine, with 287 mentions, was overwhelmingly the most discussed. Vermont had 69, and New Hampshire came in last with 56. When we looked at readership of other Topretirements pages by state, Maine came out on top there too – a lot of people are intrigued by it. So much our popularity predictions!
Comments on "I’m Thinking About Retiring in: New Hampshire, Vermont, or Maine"
Jennifer says:
My parents retired to midcoast Maine and it was great until it wasn't. Twenty minutes to a supermarket, restaurant, doctor. 45 minutes to a hospital. My mother had a falling out with her neurologist and there were no other practices within a reasonable distance. And the snow and ice became increasingly isolating and worrisome as my parents aged. They could no longer clear their driveway, walkway, steps and porch and had to pay. These are all considerations I now have as I look at retirement spots. Choose location wisely and with an eye to the long term, folks.
HEF says:
Jennifer has a good point. We retired to Maine but we tried to plan ahead. Thanks, especially, to a savvy Realtor, we ended up in a small town just minutes from Portland. EVERYTHING we need is just a block or two away! (Okay, Dunkin Donuts is 2 miles) Maine Medical is a short drive and there is a bus into the city plus Senior Van transportation available. We also have our eye on several Senior Retirement Communities not far away so we can keep our current contacts, groups and Doctors. Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance....?
Using websites like this, we learned, took notes and tried to set ourselves up for whatever is coming. THANK YOU to everyone who posts their advice!!
Michelle says:
I would like to see a comparison between the states of Washington and New Hampshire. Both are geographically beautiful and very (senior/retirement) tax friendly. If a comp has already been published, please let me know how I can access it. THANK YOU
Editor's comment: Thanks for the question Michelle. We don't have that head to head comparison, but we do have a comparison of Washington with Oregon, so you can get the info you need from that. Washington does not have a state income tax on anything, so they are almost the same on that important aspect.
See https://www.topretirements.com/blog/great-towns/dueling-retirement-states-the-pacific-northwest-or-and-wa.html/
The ME/VT/NH article has a list of all of our comparisons at the bottom.
Larry says:
My wife and I spent five weeks in late August/September in a cabin beside the northern part of the 100-mile long Lake Champlain in Vermont. We were visiting with our daughter and son in law just before and after the birth of their first child. One day, I played golf just outside the friendly and active university town of Burlington. Seven foursomes of couples played in front of me and, after my round, I learned from the club's GM that all 28 of them were winter residents of Florida. She said she had more than 50 members who were Florida residents. Now, not everyone can afford two homes, two sets of property taxes, etc. But for those who can, Vermont (especially the northern tier) is a terrific place to live for all the reasons indicated in the article above. For those of you who might not be able to stand the heat in a full-time Southeast home, Vermont should be high on your list. Yes, it is a high-cost state, but if you have enough income to justify sheltering it in a no-tax state like Florida or New Hampshire, you probably earn enough to live in a higher tax state largely free of traffic, pollution and, frankly, the toxic politics of other states. Vermont has a Republican governor and a Democratic legislature, and they operate with the kind of harmony that has produced the best record on the pandemic in the nation...which is why many of those fleeing city and suburbs for shelter from Covid are landing in Vermont. One other trait of the Green Mountain State, beside its beauty, year-round recreational possibilities and best craft beers in the nation: Gun advocates and granola eaters live together without rancor, few of them judging each other. In a divided nation, that is something worth a few extra percentage points in income tax. (Final note: I always scratch my head when clients with relatively modest retirement incomes tell me they want to live in Florida, Tennessee or some other no-income tax state. Those states need to generate income in other ways, or hold back spending on things you may consider necessities, like aid to education. Check out sites that list total cost of living by state, like Kiplinger. You will find that Florida is far from the least expensive.)