All 50 states ranked for retirement from worst to best

On a global scale, the United States is 24th on the list of the best countries for retirement.

However, the US is very large and experiences can vary drastically within the country.

If you decide to stay in America when you are done working, you might want to know which state is best for retirement. WalletHub recently released their 2018 retirement rankings. Using 41 metrics in three broad categories, they were able to rank every state to find the best and worst places to retire.

The three main categories used were affordability, quality of life, and health care. WalletHub weighted the affordability section 40% and the other two areas were given equal weight of 30%.

Florida tends to be the first state that comes to mind when retirement communities are brought up, and for good reason. The Sunshine State has the highest percentage of residents 65 years and older, WalletHub says. Florida is also tops in the overall affordability category.

Where you decide to live during retirement depends on what you value. Residents of Hawaii have the highest life expectancy, while the lowest is found in Mississippi. On the other hand, the cost of living is totally flipped with Mississippi coming in first and Hawaii ranked last.

If you are looking to be entertained in retirement, New York might be a good option. Despite the state's lackluster overall rating for retirement, WalletHub's analysis found that the Empire State has the most museums and theaters per capita.

The same state — Minnesota — can claim to have the best quality of life and health care. However, a low score on the affordability measure kept Minnesota from being one of the best overall states for retirement.

Check out how your home state ranks overall, as well as for each of the three categories: affordability, quality of life, and health care.

50. Kentucky

Affordability rank: 38

Quality of life rank: 47

Health care rank: 47

49. New Jersey

Affordability rank: 50

Quality of life rank: 28

Health care rank: 33

48. Rhode Island

Affordability rank: 48

Quality of life rank: 46

Health care rank: 22

47. Mississippi

Affordability rank: 10

Quality of life rank: 49

Health care rank: 50

46. Arkansas

Affordability rank: 20

Quality of life rank: 50

Health care rank: 45

45. West Virginia

Affordability rank: 16

Quality of life rank: 43

Health care rank: 49

44. Louisiana

Affordability rank: 17

Quality of life rank: 41

Health care rank: 46

43. New Mexico

Affordability rank: 39

Quality of life rank: 42

Health care rank: 35

42. Hawaii

Affordability rank: 49

Quality of life rank: 36

Health care rank: 3

41. Alabama

Affordability rank: 3

Quality of life rank: 48

Health care rank: 48

40. New York

Affordability rank: 46

Quality of life rank: 6

Health care rank: 28

39. Vermont

Affordability rank: 47

Quality of life rank: 16

Health care rank: 13

38. Maryland

Affordability rank: 44

Quality of life rank: 17

Health care rank: 14

37. Georgia

Affordability rank: 24

Quality of life rank: 37

Health care rank: 42

36. Oklahoma

Affordability rank: 7

Quality of life rank: 44

Health care rank: 43

35. Tennessee

Affordability rank: 5

Quality of life rank: 45

Health care rank: 44

34. Connecticut

Affordability rank: 45

Quality of life rank: 23

Health care rank: 7

33. Nebraska

Affordability rank: 41

Quality of life rank: 27

Health care rank: 10

32. Indiana

Affordability rank: 19

Quality of life rank: 35

Health care rank: 41

31. Illinois

Affordability rank: 40

Quality of life rank: 13

Health care rank: 32

30. Alaska

Affordability rank: 30

Quality of life rank: 39

Health care rank: 26

29. Michigan

Affordability rank: 33

Quality of life rank: 15

Health care rank: 31

28. North Carolina

Affordability rank: 25

Quality of life rank: 19

Health care rank: 36

27. South Carolina

Affordability rank: 6

Quality of life rank: 38

Health care rank: 40

26. Oregon

Affordability rank: 31

Quality of life rank: 25

Health care rank: 23

25. Delaware

Affordability rank: 15

Quality of life rank: 40

Health care rank: 24

24. North Dakota

Affordability rank: 35

Quality of life rank: 31

Health care rank: 8

23. Maine

Affordability rank: 36

Quality of life rank: 10

Health care rank: 15

22. Texas

Affordability rank: 9

Quality of life rank: 29

Health care rank: 38

21. Washington

Affordability rank: 34

Quality of life rank: 12

Health care rank: 18

20. Ohio

Affordability rank: 13

Quality of life rank: 18

Health care rank: 37

19. Massachusetts

Affordability rank: 43

Quality of life rank: 2

Health care rank: 5

18. Missouri

Affordability rank: 12

Quality of life rank: 34

Health care rank: 34

17. Kansas

Affordability rank: 27

Quality of life rank: 22

Health care rank: 27

16. Nevada

Affordability rank: 8

Quality of life rank: 26

Health care rank: 39

15. California

Affordability rank: 37

Quality of life rank: 3

Health care rank: 16

14. Pennsylvania

Affordability rank: 28

Quality of life rank: 4

Health care rank: 30

13. Montana

Affordability rank: 14

Quality of life rank: 33

Health care rank: 19

12. Wisconsin

Affordability rank: 32

Quality of life rank: 7

Health care rank: 11

11. Minnesota

Affordability rank: 42

Quality of life rank: 1

Health care rank: 1

10. Arizona

Affordability rank: 21

Quality of life rank: 21

Health care rank: 17

9. Utah

Affordability rank: 22

Quality of life rank: 24

Health care rank: 12

8. Idaho

Affordability rank: 11

Quality of life rank: 20

Health care rank: 25

7. New Hampshire

Affordability rank: 29

Quality of life rank: 14

Health care rank: 4

6. Wyoming

Affordability rank: 4

Quality of life rank: 30

Health care rank: 29

5. Virginia

Affordability rank: 18

Quality of life rank: 9

Health care rank: 21

4. Iowa

Affordability rank: 26

Quality of life rank: 11

Health care rank: 9

3. South Dakota

Affordability rank: 2

Quality of life rank: 32

Health care rank: 6

2. Colorado

Affordability rank: 23

Quality of life rank: 8

Health care rank: 2

1. Florida

Affordability rank: 1

Quality of life rank: 5

Health care rank: 20

All 50 states ranked for retirement from worst to best

Recommended articles

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

All 50 states ranked for retirement from worst to best

Recommended articles

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Trending

Boohoo stock tumbles 30%, wiping $1.25 billion off its market value, after an explosive report into working conditions at one of its factories