- Study of studies determines which states have improved as retirement destinations.
- Georgia jumped 1 place within 5 years.
- Infographic showing how each state has performed over 5 years.
Seemingly vying to appeal to the highest number of retiring individuals, each passing year presents a fresh ranking of the most desirable states for retirees. Past years saw states such as Florida, South Carolina, and Arizona consistently topping the lists. Recently, however, the landscape has fluctuated, with states gaining or losing allure based on various criteria including quality of life, affordable housing, reasonable healthcare costs, safety, and low taxation.
Nonetheless, gauging the attractiveness of retirement states solely from an isolated annual ranking might not yield a precise portrait. It might fail to show whether these high-ranking states truly offer the best retirement environments, or if their positions have been temporarily inflated by short-term factors like favorable new tax regulations.
To provide a more comprehensive, long-term perspective, Metal-res.com undertook a ‘study of studies’* of retirement rankings across a five-year span. This research involved calculating the rise or fall in rankings to identify the states showing the most significant improvements or declines as retirement destinations, as reflected in various studies’ rankings.
#1
The findings revealed that Virginia has had the most remarkable improvement as a retirement state over this half-decade period, jumping 38 places. While Virginia might not immediately come to mind as a retirement destination, it has distinguished itself as the state with the most progress, thanks to its high-quality living standards, top-notch healthcare services, and affordable cost of living. Virginia jumped from 39th place in 2019 to occupy the top spot by 2023. When it comes to tax policy, Virginia is comparatively moderate, charging .66% less in state tax than the national average. However,…
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