Retiring in the US · the 50 states and D.C.
Best states to retire in the US, in tiers
For Americans deciding which state to retire to, and for anyone weighing a US state against a move abroad. We place the 50 states and D.C. in tiers on six criteria, weighted equally: cost of living, taxes on a retired couple, healthcare access, safety, climate and natural-hazard risk. Every figure behind a tier is shown with its source and date.
Climate
The 50 states and D.C. by climate: months a year whose mean daily high is 18–29 °C (64–84 °F), 1981–2010; more is better.
| State | Climate | Against the others |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 12.0 months a year | more than 100% of the others |
| Florida | 7.2 months a year | more than 98% of the others |
| California | 6.0 months a year | more than 96% of the others |
| West Virginia | 5.6 months a year | more than 94% of the others |
| Delaware | 5.4 months a year | more than 92% of the others |
| South Carolina | 5.3 months a year | more than 90% of the others |
| Louisiana | 5.1 months a year | more than 88% of the others |
| Texas | 5.1 months a year | more than 86% of the others |
| Ohio | 5.1 months a year | more than 84% of the others |
| Maryland | 5.1 months a year | more than 82% of the others |
| Virginia | 5.0 months a year | more than 80% of the others |
| Indiana | 5.0 months a year | more than 78% of the others |
| Kentucky | 5.0 months a year | more than 76% of the others |
| New Jersey | 5.0 months a year | more than 74% of the others |
| District of Columbia | 5.0 months a year | more than 72% of the others |
| North Dakota | 5.0 months a year | more than 70% of the others |
| Illinois | 4.9 months a year | more than 68% of the others |
| Minnesota | 4.9 months a year | more than 66% of the others |
| Michigan | 4.9 months a year | more than 64% of the others |
| Connecticut | 4.8 months a year | more than 62% of the others |
| Missouri | 4.8 months a year | more than 60% of the others |
| Pennsylvania | 4.8 months a year | more than 58% of the others |
| Tennessee | 4.8 months a year | more than 56% of the others |
| Arizona | 4.8 months a year | more than 54% of the others |
| Mississippi | 4.8 months a year | more than 52% of the others |
| Rhode Island | 4.7 months a year | more than 50% of the others |
| Alabama | 4.7 months a year | more than 48% of the others |
| New York | 4.7 months a year | more than 46% of the others |
| Wisconsin | 4.7 months a year | more than 44% of the others |
| New Hampshire | 4.7 months a year | more than 42% of the others |
| Georgia | 4.7 months a year | more than 40% of the others |
| Massachusetts | 4.7 months a year | more than 38% of the others |
| New Mexico | 4.7 months a year | more than 36% of the others |
| Iowa | 4.6 months a year | more than 34% of the others |
| North Carolina | 4.6 months a year | more than 32% of the others |
| Kansas | 4.6 months a year | more than 30% of the others |
| Oregon | 4.4 months a year | more than 28% of the others |
| Colorado | 4.3 months a year | more than 26% of the others |
| South Dakota | 4.3 months a year | more than 24% of the others |
| Arkansas | 4.3 months a year | more than 22% of the others |
| Nebraska | 4.1 months a year | more than 20% of the others |
| Vermont | 4.0 months a year | more than 18% of the others |
| Nevada | 4.0 months a year | more than 16% of the others |
| Oklahoma | 4.0 months a year | more than 14% of the others |
| Idaho | 4.0 months a year | more than 12% of the others |
| Maine | 3.8 months a year | more than 10% of the others |
| Washington | 3.7 months a year | more than 8% of the others |
| Wyoming | 3.7 months a year | more than 6% of the others |
| Montana | 3.6 months a year | more than 4% of the others |
| Utah | 3.3 months a year | more than 2% of the others |
| Alaska | 0.2 months a year | more than 0% of the others |
CHELSA V2.1 monthly maximum temperature, 1981-2010 (~1 km), averaged over the county, Karger et al., weighted by each county's population 65+ (US Census Bureau, 1 July 2025) · figures as of 2010