12 Worst Cities for Retirement: 2024
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More than half of Americans say they plan to retire at age 65 or older, and three-quarters expect to work after they retire, according to research cited by the personal finance website WalletHub in a recent report.
These findings are not surprising considering that only a fifth of Americans are highly confident that they can afford a financially comfortable retirement. Most people are less confident. About a quarter of Americans with a retirement plan say they have little confidence about their after-work financial security or none at all, rising to two-thirds of those without a retirement plan.
Where these workers decide to retire will have a big effect on their retirement prospects, according to WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.
The best cities for retired people minimize taxes and expenses and provide opportunities to continue paid work for extra income. Retirees in the top cities can also avail themselves of excellent health care and enjoy a wide variety of activities. The least-amenable cities are lacking in many of these areas.
To identify the best and worst places for Americans to live during their post-work years, WalletHub compared the retirement friendliness of 182 U.S. cities — including the 150 most populated ones, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across these key dimensions:
Affordability, including adjusted cost of living, retired taxpayer friendliness and annual cost of adult day health care
Activities, including recreation friendliness, availability of adult volunteer activities, and public and municipal golf courses per capita
Quality of life, including mild weather, air and water quality, walk score and strength of elder-abuse protections
Health care, including quality of public hospital system; number of substance abuse, behavioral disorder and mental health counselors per 10,000 residents; and death rate of population 65 and older
Researchers evaluated these dimensions using 45 relevant metrics and graded each one on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for retirement. They then determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score. As cost is a significant factor in retirement, researchers assumed that retirees will rely on a fixed income: The lower their expenses, the better they will fare in a particular city.
See the accompanying gallery for the 12 worst American cities for retirement in 2024.
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