The greatest places to spend your golden years and a road plan for retirement have been compiled by experts.
It turns out that our region is home to the top two states on the list! It only goes to show that there are other factors to take into account besides cost of living and climate when deciding where to spend your senior years.
Each year, Bankrate publishes a list of the greatest places to live out your elderly years, based on five key considerations.
According to Alex Gailey of Bankrate, “affordability, overall well-being, quality and cost of health care, crime, and weather.” And who wins, you wonder?
According to Gailey, “Delaware was in our number two spot last year, and then it overtook Iowa this year for the number one spot.”
Indeed, according to Bankrate, the best state for retirees is the First State.
“It’s actually a pretty tax-friendly state for retirees. It doesn’t tax Social Security benefits and has no state or local sales tax. It also has pretty low property tax rates.”
Delaware received great marks for diversity, general well-being, and having a top-notch healthcare system. Next in order of importance is West Virginia, followed by Georgia, South Carolina, and Missouri.
Pennsylvania is ranked nineth.
“It has one of the nation’s best health care systems so the quality of health care you’re getting is really good in Pennsylvania compared to the rest of the country,” said Gailey.
Pennsylvania also received good marks for general well-being, particularly in the area of socializing with peers due to a greater proportion of elderly citizens.
New Jersey, on the other hand, comes in at number 35, at the bottom of the list.
“New Jersey has the most expensive property taxes in the nation. It has pretty high homeowner’s insurance, a high cost of living, and high home prices. New Jersey is just an expensive state all around.”
With AARP’s online livability index, you may search by zip code, city, or state or take a brief questionnaire to determine what matters to you.
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AARP cautions, nevertheless, that there are private aspects that only you are aware of.
The AARP index takes into account factors like housing (accessibility and affordability), neighborhood (security and proximity), transportation (safety and convenience), environment, engagement (meaning social and civic involvement), health, and opportunity (the degree to which a community offers opportunities for jobs and continuing education), all of which many AARP members claim are more important than additional income.
