US New’s Long Term Chill Places to Retire

October 2, 2017

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It’s never to late (or early, for that matter) to make a long term plan to chill.

U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and consumer advice, today unveiled the 2018 Best Places to Retire in the United States. The new rankings offer a comprehensive evaluation of the country’s 100 largest metropolitan areas based on how well they meet Americans’ expectations for retirement, with measures including housing affordability, healthcare and overall happiness.

Sarasota, Florida, tops the list this year at No. 1 due to high scores in the overall happiness of its residents. Lancaster, Pennsylvania, follows at No. 2 in part because of low retiree taxes and high quality healthcare. Overall, cities in Texas make a strong showing on the list, taking two of the top five spots. Strong housing affordability puts San Antonio, Texas, at No. 3 on the list, followed by Grand Rapids, Michigan, at No. 4 and El Paso, Texas, rounding out the top 5.

“Our goal with these rankings is to provide consumers with a useful resource to aid in planning for retirement,” said Emily Brandon, senior editor for Retirement at U.S. News. “The Best Places to Retire supplies future retirees with a comprehensive list of cities that take into account the characteristics that matter the most when figuring out where to settle down, such as high quality health care and low housing costs.”

The 2018 Best Places to Retire were determined based on a methodology that factored in measures including housing affordability, desirability, retiree taxes, the happiness index, job market and healthcare quality. These measures were selected and weighted based on a public survey of pre-retirees (age 45-59) and retirement-age (age 60+) individuals across the U.S to find out what matters most when considering a place to retire. Data sources include the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as well as U.S. News rankings of the Best Hospitals.

Best Places to Retire is part of U.S. News’ expanding Real Estate channel, which provides rankings, tools and advice to help individuals navigate the housing market, from getting a mortgage and working with an agent to buying and selling a home. The 2018 Best Places to Retire launch is sponsored by Voya Financial.

2018 U.S. News Best Places to Retire Rankings- Top 10