Is your state one of the best for retirement?

FeaturedMoneyRetirement

Written by:

You’ve finally done it: You’ve hung up your apron, put the keyboard away or tossed your uniform straight in the trash.

You’ve retired … or are about to! But are you making the most out of your retirement? A common question people ask is if they have enough money to retire, but fewer people ask if they’re in the best place to retire. That latter question, though, could have a serious impact on just how far your retirement savings go. Where you live could also affect the quality of your retirement lifestyle or even your access to good, affordable health care. So to help you make the most of your retirement funds, WalletHub ranked each state to determine which is the best for retirement.

SPONSORED: Find a Qualified Financial Advisor

1. Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes.

2. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you’re ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals get started now.

Retirement with dog
Halfpoint / iStock

Methodology

To determine their rankings for most retirement-friendly states, WalletHub used three categories, each with their own sub-categories, to rank each state. Those categories were affordability, quality of life and health care.

Overall, WalletHub examined those three categories using 47 metrics and graded them on a 100-point scale. They then calculated each state’s weighted average score to determine an overall ranking. You can read more about the methodology, population size and scoring here.

New Jersey
aimintang

50. New Jersey

  • Total Score: 40.27
  • Affordability: 49
  • Quality of Life: 34
  • Health Care: 28
Mississippi
SeanPavonePhoto/istockphoto

49. Mississippi

  • Total Score: 41.17
  • Affordability: 12
  • Quality of Life: 50
  • Health Care: 49
new york
monkeybusinessimages

48. New York

  • Total Score: 42.47
  • Affordability: 50
  • Quality of Life: 12
  • Health Care: 7
Kentucky
DepositPhotos.com

47. Kentucky

  • Total Score: 42.49
  • Affordability: 26
  • Quality of Life: 42
  • Health Care: 47
Oklahoma City
DepositPhotos.com

46. Oklahoma

  • Total Score: 43.97
  • Affordability: 21
  • Quality of Life: 44
  • Health Care: 44
Illinois
venemama / istockphoto

45. Illinois

  • Total Score: 44.27
  • Affordability: 47
  • Quality of Life: 23
  • Health Care: 21
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
connerscott1 / iStock

44. Rhode Island

 

  • Total Score: 44.35
  • Affordability: 40
  • Quality of Life: 39
  • Health Care: 19

 

arkansas
wellesenterprises / istockphoto

43. Arkansas

  • Total Score: 44.43
  • Affordability: 16
  • Quality of Life: 48
  • Health Care: 43
West Virginia
hkim39 // istockphoto

42. West Virginia

  • Total Score: 45.63
  • Affordability: 17
  • Quality of Life: 43
  • Health Care: 45
Louisiana
DepositPhotos.com

41. Louisiana

  • Total Score: 46.03
  • Affordability: 7
  • Quality of Life: 47
  • Health Care: 46
Tacoma Washington
thyegn / istockphoto

40. Washington

  • Total Score: 46.22
  • Affordability: 46
  • Quality of Life: 8
  • Health Care: 23
Tennessee
NathanMerrill

39. Tennessee

  • Total Score: 46.64
  • Affordability: 2
  • Quality of Life: 48
  • Health Care: 48

SPONSORED: Find a Qualified Financial Advisor

1. Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes.

2. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you’re ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.

Oregon
DepositPhotos.com

38. Oregon

  • Total Score: 46.89
  • Affordability: 43
  • Quality of Life: 17
  • Health Care: 18
Alaska
julof90

37. Alaska

  • Total Score: 47.03
  • Affordability: 38
  • Quality of Life: 36
  • Health Care: 10
New Mexico
Davel5957

36. New Mexico

  • Total Score: 47.56
  • Affordability: 24
  • Quality of Life: 46
  • Health Care: 30
Georgia
DepositPhotos.com

35. Georgia

  • Total Score: 47.64
  • Affordability: 8
  • Quality of Life: 40
  • Health Care: 42
Texas
DepositPhotos.com

34. Texas

  • Total Score: 47.7
  • Affordability: 29
  • Quality of Life: 37
  • Health Care: 32
Indiana
f11photo

33. Indiana

  • Total Score: 48.07
  • Affordability: 23
  • Quality of Life: 29
  • Health Care: 40
Omaha, Nebraska
Matt Bills / iStock

32. Nebraska

  • Total Score: 48.39
  • Affordability: 35
  • Quality of Life: 22
  • Health Care: 22
Michigan
DepositPhotos.com

31. Michigan

  • Total Score: 48.48
  • Affordability: 31
  • Quality of Life: 25
  • Health Care: 34
maryland
James_Lane

30. Maryland

  • Total Score: 48.55
  • Affordability: 41
  • Quality of Life: 14
  • Health Care: 14
Connecticut
traveler1116

29. Connecticut

 

  • Total Score: 48.57
  • Affordability: 42
  • Quality of Life: 27
  • Health Care: 5

 

Vermont road
DepositPhotos.com

28. Vermont

  • Total Score: 48.71
  • Affordability: 48
  • Quality of Life: 6
  • Health Care: 2
Maine
DepositPhotos.com

27. Maine

 

  • Total Score: 48.74
  • Affordability: 44
  • Quality of Life: 11
  • Health Care: 9

 

hawaii
Art Wager

26. Hawaii

  • Total Score: 48.89
  • Affordability: 39
  • Quality of Life: 31
  • Health Care: 6
Nevada
DepositPhotos.com

25. Nevada

  • Total Score: 49.29
  • Affordability: 5
  • Quality of Life: 41
  • Health Care: 41
Kansas
Michael Pham

24. Kansas

  • Total Score: 49.3
  • Affordability: 28
  • Quality of Life: 28
  • Health Care: 33
Ohio Scenic Byway
Mike/Flickr

23. Ohio

  • Total Score: 49.52
  • Affordability: 27
  • Quality of Life: 15
  • Health Care: 39
Alabama
Sean Pavone/istockphoto

22. Alabama

  • Total Score: 49.93
  • Affordability: 1
  • Quality of Life: 45
  • Health Care: 50
Pennsylvania
weaver1234

21. Pennsylvania

  • Total Score: 50.15
  • Affordability: 37
  • Quality of Life: 4
  • Health Care: 25
Iowa
DepositPhotos.com

20. Iowa

  • Total Score: 51.37
  • Affordability: 33
  • Quality of Life: 9
  • Health Care: 20
Massachusetts
Rolf_52

19. Massachusetts

  • Total Score: 51.77
  • Affordability: 45
  • Quality of Life: 1
  • Health Care: 3
North Carolina
DepositPhotos.com

18. North Carolina

  • Total Score: 52.06
  • Affordability: 10
  • Quality of Life: 26
  • Health Care: 38
Missouri
DepositPhotos.com

17. Missouri

  • Total Score: 52.13
  • Affordability: 20
  • Quality of Life: 30
  • Health Care: 29
Temecula, California
KGrif / iStock

16. California

  • Total Score: 52.6
  • Affordability: 30
  • Quality of Life: 24
  • Health Care: 12
Wisconsin
FierceAbin

15. Wisconsin

  • Total Score: 52.72
  • Affordability: 32
  • Quality of Life: 10
  • Health Care: 17
South Dakota
RiverNorthPhotography

14. South Dakota

  • Total Score: 53.48
  • Affordability: 22
  • Quality of Life: 33
  • Health Care: 11
Wyoming
AnujSahaiPhotography

13. Wyoming

  • Total Score: 53.49
  • Affordability: 18
  • Quality of Life: 13
  • Health Care: 37
South Carolina
SeanPavonePhoto

12. South Carolina

  • Total Score: 53.57
  • Affordability: 3
  • Quality of Life: 38
  • Health Care: 35
Idaho
DepositPhotos.com

11. Idaho

  • Total Score: 53.63
  • Affordability: 13
  • Quality of Life: 19
  • Health Care: 36
Tucson, Arizona
Sean Pavone / iStock

10. Arizona

  • Total Score: 54.17
  • Affordability: 15
  • Quality of Life: 32
  • Health Care: 24
New Hampshire
DenisTangneyJr

9. New Hampshire

  • Total Score: 54.17
  • Affordability: 34
  • Quality of Life: 2
  • Health Care: 8
Utah
DepositPhotos.com

8. Utah

  • Total Score: 54.23
  • Affordability: 19
  • Quality of Life: 20
  • Health Care: 26
Montana
raksyBH / istockphoto

7. Montana

  • Total Score: 54.44
  • Affordability: 14
  • Quality of Life: 18
  • Health Care: 31
Fargo, North Dakota
csfotoimages / istockphoto

6. North Dakota

  • Total Score: 54.51
  • Affordability: 25
  • Quality of Life: 16
  • Health Care: 16
Minnesota
JoeChristensen/istockphoto

5. Minnesota

  • Total Score: 55.85
  • Affordability: 36
  • Quality of Life: 3
  • Health Care: 1
Newark, Delaware
Pixabay.com

4. Delaware

  • Total Score: 56.34
  • Affordability: 6
  • Quality of Life: 35
  • Health Care: 15
Colorado Trail, Colorado
Unsplash

3. Colorado

  • Total Score: 59.27
  • Affordability: 11
  • Quality of Life: 21
  • Health Care: 4
Virginia Beach, Virginia
ABEMOS / istockphoto

2. Virginia

  • Total Score: 59.32
  • Affordability: 9
  • Quality of Life: 7
  • Health Care: 13

SPONSORED: Find a Qualified Financial Advisor

1. Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes.

2. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you’re ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.

Orlando, Florida
DepositPhotos.com
Rockin' Boomer
istockphoto / DisobeyArt
AlertMe

Kaitlyn Farley

Kaitlyn is MediaFeed’s senior editor. She is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, specializing in social justice and investigative reporting. She has worked at various radio stations and newsrooms, covering higher-education, local politics, natural disasters and investigative and watchdog stories related to Title IX and transparency issues.