Deciding where to retire is a massive decision.
It’s important to consider many factors such as affordability, quality of healthcare, weather, and crime rates.
Fortunately for you, I’ve done the heavy lifting of aggregating data on affordability and cost of living, quality of healthcare by state, climate data, and crime data from Justice Center to calculate a weighted average that tells you exactly which states are the worst to retire in.
Each state was ranked from best (1) to worst (50) on the following four categories:
- Affordability
- Quality of Healthcare
- Weather
- Crime
I then calculated a weighted average score using the following weights:
- Affordability (45%)
- Quality of Healthcare (30%)
- Weather (20%)
- Crime (5%)
Here are the 21 states with the worst rankings.
21. Ohio
Coming in at the 21st worst state to retire in is Ohio.
One major reason Ohio gets a poor ranking is due to the weather. It gets muggy in the summer and most of the regions in Ohio receive snow in the winter so there’s usually something to complain about year-round regarding the outdoors.
Along with the poor weather, the ratings for crime, healthcare and affordability are all in the middle of the pack so there’s just not a lot of upside for retirees in any of the categories that we tracked.
If you’re looking for an affordable place to retire, you could do worse than Ohio but it’s probably not a state on the top of most retiree’s lists.
20. Arizona
The next worst state to retire in is Arizona.
I know this ranking will be controversial because how could a place with so much sunshine be a bad place to retire?
Well, according to our data Arizona ranks second for the best weather among the 50 states but unfortunately it scores poorly on affordability.
It also ranks in the middle of the pack on healthcare and crime, which doesn’t make it the most desirable place for retirees.
19. Nevada
The next worst place to retire is Nevada.
Similar to Arizona, Nevada scores well on weather but it scores poorly on affordability, healthcare and crime rates.
It turns out that all the sunshine and natural beauty of the state gets weighed down by the other factors that matter to retirees.
If you want to retire in a scenic state, Nevada could rank highly on your list. But if quality of healthcare is important to you, then it’s not an ideal retirement location.
18. Oregon
The 18th worst state to retire in is Oregon.
In particular, it’s not a very affordable state and it suffers from high crime rates in different pockets of the state.
Although the weather and the quality of healthcare both rank in the top third of all states, it’s hard to get around the fact that it’s a pretty expensive state for most retirees and if you’re dependent on a social security check or other forms of non-active income, your dollar doesn’t go very far here.
17. California
The next worst state to retire in is California.
Although it ranks number one on weather (it’s impossible to beat the sunshine and low humidity throughout much of the state) it ranks almost last in affordability.
For retirees, California is simply an expensive place to live. Although it’s a beautiful state, your wallet will be hurting if you choose to retire here.
16. Wisconsin
The 16th worst state to retire in is Wisconsin.
Although the quality of healthcare is decent overall in this state, it ranks poorly on the other three factors.
In particular, it ranks in the top 10 worst states for weather and the winters here can be brutal.
If you’re someone who is looking to retire in a place with mild weather and lots of sunshine, Wisconsin should not be at the top of your list.
15. North Carolina
Next up on our list is North Carolina.
It ranks in the middle of the pack in terms of affordability and crime, and it even ranks well on weather but it’s in the bottom third of states in terms of quality of healthcare.
For retirees who have potential health concerns as they get older, this isn’t the best state to consider for retirement.
14. New Hampshire
Next up we have New Hampshire.
From the chart above you can see that this state ranks extremely high on both quality of health care and crime rates, but it’s not very affordable and the weather is dreary for many of the colder months.
Due to its poor weather and affordability, this is a state that is likely not at the top of most retiree destinations.
13. Wyoming
The 13th worst state to retire in is Wyoming.
The main reason this state ranks so poorly on our list is because the quality of healthcare ranks as the 42nd worst among all the states.
It also doesn’t help that the state ranks in the middle of the pack on crime rates, weather and affordability.
Although there’s plenty of scenic places to enjoy in Wyoming, for most retirees it probably isn’t on the top of their list for states to live in during retirement.
12. Rhode Island
Next up on the list is the smallest U.S. state: Rhode Island.
Although the state is known for excellent healthcare along with low crime rates, it’s not very affordable and it ranks poorly on weather.
This is a state that has rough winters and doesn’t enjoy much sun overall year-round, which makes it a less than ideal place to retire.
11. Florida
Coming in at the 11th worst place to retire is Florida.
Even though this state is known to many people as the “retirement state” it’s actually not that affordable for most Americans and it ranks poorly on quality of healthcare.
Now, if you’re only concerned with maximizing your exposure to sunshine in retirement then it’s hard to beat Florida.
But if affordability and healthcare are among your concerns as a retiree, there are many states where you could do much better.
10. New Jersey
The 10th worst state to retire in is New Jersey.
The main reason this state ranks so poorly is because it’s expensive. It also suffers from a low ranking for weather due to its brutal winters and overall lack of sunshine in the colder months.
New Jersey does rank well in terms of quality of healthcare so this could be a potential retirement destination for retirees with health concerns, but only if they’re able to afford the high costs of living.
9. Maryland
Next up on our list is Maryland.
Similar to New Jersey, this state is an expensive place to live for most retirees.
It also ranks in the middle of the pack in terms of weather and crime rates, which doesn’t help its cause either.
It does rank fairly high in quality of healthcare, though. So, similar to New Jersey, if you can afford to live in this state and you have health concerns then this could still be a potential retirement destination for you.
8. Washington
The 8th worst state to retire in is Washington.
The big reason? Affordability.
This is an expensive state to live in and housing costs in particular have been increasing substantially over the last few years.
Washington also ranks poorly on weather and crime rates, making this a pretty undesirable place to retire for most people.
7. Delaware
The 7th worst place to retire is Delaware.
There isn’t one single factor that Delaware ranks extremely poorly in, but rather it doesn’t rank very high in any of the four factors that I’ve included in this analysis.
With average weather and slightly below average healthcare and affordability, this isn’t a state that is likely to attract most retirees.
6. Massachusetts
The 6th worst place to retire is Massachusetts.
Despite having low crime rates and excellent healthcare, the state ranks very poorly on weather and affordability, two factors that many retirees consider when deciding on where to live.
In particular, Massachusetts is among the top three most expensive places to live.
This factor alone makes it an unattractive place to spend retirement for most people.
5. Connecticut
The fifth worst state to retire in is Connecticut.
This state ranks very poorly on both weather (a trend among the New England states) and affordability.
Similar to Massachusetts, it ranks well on quality of healthcare and low crime rates but it’s hard to get around how expensive this state is to live in.
If you’re looking to stretch your dollar in retirement, Connecticut should not be a state that is at the top of your list.
4. Maine
Next up on our list is Maine.
Despite having extremely low crime rates, Maine suffers from high living expenses and poor weather for most of the year.
For many retirees, this is not an affordable state to live in and if you’re looking for sunshine throughout the year then you should look elsewhere for a retirement destination.
3. New York
Coming in at number three on our list is New York.
Similar to many of the New England states, New York suffers from below-average weather and above-average living expenses.
This combination makes it an unattractive place to retire for most people.
It also doesn’t help that it ranks in the middle of the pack for quality of healthcare and crime rates.
2. Vermont
The second worst state to retire in will probably come as a surprise to most people: Vermont.
This state ranks very poorly in both weather (long winters with little sunshine) and affordability.
It also doesn’t rank well in terms of quality of healthcare.
All of these factors make Vermont a place to avoid for most people who are seeking a low-cost retirement in a place with enjoyable weather.
1. Alaska
And drum roll please…
The number one worst state to retire in is Alaska.
Despite all of its natural beauty and breathtaking landscapes, this is not a friendly place for retirees.
The weather is brutal for most of the year, the quality of healthcare is dead last among the 50 states, and it’s not affordable for most retirees.
This combination of factors makes Alaska the worst state to retire in.
Final Thoughts
So there we have it! Those are the 21 worst states to retire in.
When considering where you would like to retire, it’s important to consider many factors like quality of healthcare, crime rates, weather and affordability.
It’s also worth mentioning that most retirees take into consideration how close they are to family and friends. So, even if a state ranks poorly on some factors like weather or affordability, this could be offset by the benefits of living near loved ones.
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