Call (310) 245-0332 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

Call (310) 245-0332 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

What are the 25 Best Retirement Cities in the US?

Posted by Janice Wood, March 13, 2018

When we plan for retirement, we’re often thinking about “when” and “how much will it cost?” But another huge part of retirement planning involves choosing a location. That’s because, now that you’re free to live anywhere you want, you might prefer a different climate, a more affordable local economy, or proximity to family or leisure activities.

Those are just some of the reasons that retirees often choose a particular destination for retirement. And it seems that some destinations are quite popular among retirees, who have figured out which destinations offer the right mix of affordability, high standards of health care, low taxes, low crime rates, and other qualities that appeal to them.

So which towns are leading retirement destinations right now? According to Forbes, the following 25 cities ranked in the top 25 for 2017:

  • Athens, Ga.
  • Bella Vista, Ark.
  • Bethlehem, Pa.
  • Boise, Idaho
  • Brevard, N.C.
  • Clemson, S.C.
  • Colorado Springs, Colo.
  • Fargo, N.D.
  • Grand Prairie, Texas
  • Green Valley, Ariz.
  • Harrisonburg, Va.
  • Iowa City, Iowa
  • Jefferson City, Mo.
  • Lawrence, Kan.
  • Lewiston, Maine
  • Lincoln, Neb.
  • Maryville, Tenn.
  • Ocean Pines, Md.
  • Peoria, Ariz.
  • Port Charlotte, Fla.
  • San Marcos, Texas
  • Savannah, Ga.
  • Summerville, S.C.
  • The Villages, Fla.
  • Wenatchee, Wash.

You might have noticed that nine of these cities are also college towns, probably due to the variety of cultural events that college environments tend to foster.

Taxes also appear to be important. In particular, retirees often prefer states with low or zero income taxes. But it’s worth noting that in many cases, states that don’t impose income taxes do compensate for the “lost” revenue in other ways, such as with higher real estate or sales taxes. So, if you do choose a retirement destination based on affordability, be sure to do the math. Low or zero income taxes are not always worth the trade-off, particularly if you’re living on a lower fixed income anyway.

As for health care, Medicare is of course available in all 50 states. But out-of-pocket expenses can vary greatly by geographic region, so supplemental insurance coverage might be important. Give us a call to discuss your Medicare plan if you feel that your budget doesn’t adequately provide for your medical expenditures.

Need more information?

Contact us online to learn more

Contact Us

Close Accessibility Tools
Accessibility Controls Reset
Content Adjustments
Font Size

Default

Line Height

Default

Content Scaling

Default

Highlight Titles
Highlight Links
Highlight Forms
Align Left
Align Center
Align Right
Focus Mode
Color Adjustments
Desaturate
Monochrome
Contrast

Default

Saturation

Default

Accessibility Statement

Despite our attempts to make this website accessible for everyone, there may still be some pages or sections that are not completely accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or do not have a suitable technological solution to make them accessible. Nevertheless, we are always striving to enhance our accessibility by adding, updating, improving its options and features, and incorporating new technologies.

We want to provide our users with the best experience possible, so we strive to support as many browsers and assistive technologies as possible.

If you wish to contact this website's owner, please use the contact form on the website.

Our User Interface Adjustment Options

Font adjustments - With this tool, users can modify font size, style, letter spacing, and line height for improved alignment and readability.

Color adjustments - Users can customize their color contrast profiles to light, dark, desaturated, and monochrome.

Content highlighting - Users can prioritize key elements such as links, forms, and titles.

Content focus - Users can enable focus mode to highlight the current page information based on their mouse movement.

Close