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Here are the best and worst places to retire: survey

A WalletHub survey showed Florida was home to some of the top ten cities for retirees.

Tampa, Florida, USA downtown skyline.

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When preparing to retire, money is often not the only factor workers take into consideration, with relocation to a new city potentially providing an easier transition.

A list compiled by WalletHub found Tampa, Florida is ranked the best retirement city, followed by Scottsdale, Arizona and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Cities in Florida took up almost half of the top ten spots, with Orlando and Miami taking the fourth and fifth spots, respectively. Others in the top ten included Atlanta, Ga., Casper, Wyo., Charleston, S.C. Denver, Colo. and Cincinnati, Ohio. 

Stockton, Calif. was ranked as the worst retirement city, followed by Newark, N.J. and Bakersfield, Calif. Cities in California took up half of the worst-ranked cities, with San Bernardino, Calif. listed as the fourth-worst retirement city and Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. as the eighth worst. 

Others in the list of top ten worst retirement cities include Detroit, Mich., Bridgeport, Conn., Wichita, Kan., Vancouver, Wash. and Baltimore, Md. 

The list considered several factors including affordability, activities, quality of life and health care. 

Montgomery, Alabama came out on top for affordability while New York was ranked the worst. 

Pearl City, Hawaii had the best quality of life while Detroit had the worst. South Burlington, Vermont had the best health care and Columbus, Georgia had the worst. 

The list follows a Gallup survey from July, which found that Americans are retiring at later ages compared to 30 years ago. The average worker in the U.S. now retires at 61, four years older than in 1991.

This trend of later retirement ages coincides with an increase in age when people are able to receive retirement benefits, which often takes some of the financial burden off of retirees. 

Published on Sep 05,2023