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.
Healthcare access
The 50 states and D.C. by healthcare access: share of residents 65+ living in a county with a 4- or 5-star CMS hospital; higher is better.
| State | Healthcare access | Against the others |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 100 % of residents 65+ | higher than 100% of the others |
| Massachusetts | 96 % of residents 65+ | higher than 98% of the others |
| Connecticut | 91 % of residents 65+ | higher than 96% of the others |
| California | 91 % of residents 65+ | higher than 94% of the others |
| Colorado | 90 % of residents 65+ | higher than 92% of the others |
| Nevada | 88 % of residents 65+ | higher than 90% of the others |
| Arizona | 87 % of residents 65+ | higher than 88% of the others |
| Utah | 87 % of residents 65+ | higher than 86% of the others |
| Pennsylvania | 84 % of residents 65+ | higher than 84% of the others |
| Wisconsin | 81 % of residents 65+ | higher than 82% of the others |
| Rhode Island | 77 % of residents 65+ | higher than 80% of the others |
| New Hampshire | 77 % of residents 65+ | higher than 78% of the others |
| Florida | 75 % of residents 65+ | higher than 76% of the others |
| Washington | 74 % of residents 65+ | higher than 74% of the others |
| Maryland | 74 % of residents 65+ | higher than 72% of the others |
| Ohio | 72 % of residents 65+ | higher than 70% of the others |
| Illinois | 72 % of residents 65+ | higher than 68% of the others |
| Texas | 72 % of residents 65+ | higher than 66% of the others |
| Oregon | 70 % of residents 65+ | higher than 64% of the others |
| Maine | 69 % of residents 65+ | higher than 62% of the others |
| New Jersey | 68 % of residents 65+ | higher than 60% of the others |
| New York | 66 % of residents 65+ | higher than 58% of the others |
| Minnesota | 66 % of residents 65+ | higher than 56% of the others |
| South Carolina | 66 % of residents 65+ | higher than 54% of the others |
| Hawaii | 66 % of residents 65+ | higher than 52% of the others |
| Idaho | 66 % of residents 65+ | higher than 50% of the others |
| Indiana | 63 % of residents 65+ | higher than 48% of the others |
| Missouri | 62 % of residents 65+ | higher than 46% of the others |
| Nebraska | 62 % of residents 65+ | higher than 44% of the others |
| Kansas | 60 % of residents 65+ | higher than 42% of the others |
| Michigan | 58 % of residents 65+ | higher than 40% of the others |
| Virginia | 56 % of residents 65+ | higher than 38% of the others |
| North Carolina | 54 % of residents 65+ | higher than 36% of the others |
| Oklahoma | 53 % of residents 65+ | higher than 34% of the others |
| Georgia | 49 % of residents 65+ | higher than 32% of the others |
| Iowa | 49 % of residents 65+ | higher than 30% of the others |
| Delaware | 46 % of residents 65+ | higher than 28% of the others |
| South Dakota | 45 % of residents 65+ | higher than 26% of the others |
| Montana | 45 % of residents 65+ | higher than 24% of the others |
| Tennessee | 44 % of residents 65+ | higher than 22% of the others |
| Vermont | 43 % of residents 65+ | higher than 20% of the others |
| New Mexico | 41 % of residents 65+ | higher than 18% of the others |
| North Dakota | 39 % of residents 65+ | higher than 16% of the others |
| Louisiana | 37 % of residents 65+ | higher than 14% of the others |
| Kentucky | 37 % of residents 65+ | higher than 12% of the others |
| Wyoming | 36 % of residents 65+ | higher than 10% of the others |
| Arkansas | 33 % of residents 65+ | higher than 8% of the others |
| Alabama | 29 % of residents 65+ | higher than 6% of the others |
| West Virginia | 24 % of residents 65+ | higher than 4% of the others |
| Mississippi | 23 % of residents 65+ | higher than 2% of the others |
| Alaska | 9 % of residents 65+ | higher than 0% of the others |
CMS, Hospital General Information (Care Compare), hospital overall star rating, release of 13 Aug 2026, weighted by each county's population 65+ (US Census Bureau, 1 July 2025) · figures as of 2026