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.
Safety
The 50 states and D.C. by safety: homicides per 100,000 a year, 2020–2024, by state of residence; lower is better. States between two lines cannot be told apart on this figure's published margin, so their order there is not a claim.
| State | Safety | Against the others |
|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 1.5 per 100,000 a year | lower than 100% of the others |
| Maine | 2.2 per 100,000 a year | lower than 98% of the others |
| Idaho | 2.3 per 100,000 a year | lower than 96% of the others |
| Massachusetts | 2.4 per 100,000 a year | lower than 94% of the others |
| Utah | 2.5 per 100,000 a year | lower than 92% of the others |
| Rhode Island | 2.6 per 100,000 a year | lower than 90% of the others |
| Vermont | 2.6 per 100,000 a year | lower than 88% of the others |
| Hawaii | 2.9 per 100,000 a year | lower than 86% of the others |
| Iowa | 3.1 per 100,000 a year | lower than 84% of the others |
| North Dakota | 3.2 per 100,000 a year | lower than 82% of the others |
| Nebraska | 3.5 per 100,000 a year | lower than 80% of the others |
| Wyoming | 3.5 per 100,000 a year | lower than 78% of the others |
| Minnesota | 3.6 per 100,000 a year | lower than 76% of the others |
| New Jersey | 3.6 per 100,000 a year | lower than 74% of the others |
| Connecticut | 4.0 per 100,000 a year | lower than 72% of the others |
| New York | 4.2 per 100,000 a year | lower than 70% of the others |
| Oregon | 4.4 per 100,000 a year | lower than 68% of the others |
| Washington | 4.7 per 100,000 a year | lower than 66% of the others |
| Montana | 4.8 per 100,000 a year | lower than 64% of the others |
| Wisconsin | 5.3 per 100,000 a year | lower than 62% of the others |
| South Dakota | 5.4 per 100,000 a year | lower than 60% of the others |
| California | 5.6 per 100,000 a year | lower than 58% of the others |
| West Virginia | 5.8 per 100,000 a year | lower than 56% of the others |
| Kansas | 6.0 per 100,000 a year | lower than 54% of the others |
| Colorado | 6.1 per 100,000 a year | lower than 52% of the others |
| Florida | 6.3 per 100,000 a year | lower than 50% of the others |
| Virginia | 6.5 per 100,000 a year | lower than 48% of the others |
| Michigan | 7.2 per 100,000 a year | lower than 46% of the others |
| Texas | 7.2 per 100,000 a year | lower than 44% of the others |
| Arizona | 7.3 per 100,000 a year | lower than 42% of the others |
| Pennsylvania | 7.4 per 100,000 a year | lower than 40% of the others |
| Delaware | 7.4 per 100,000 a year | lower than 38% of the others |
| Nevada | 7.6 per 100,000 a year | lower than 36% of the others |
| Ohio | 7.8 per 100,000 a year | lower than 34% of the others |
| Oklahoma | 7.8 per 100,000 a year | lower than 32% of the others |
| Kentucky | 7.9 per 100,000 a year | lower than 30% of the others |
| Alaska | 8.1 per 100,000 a year | lower than 28% of the others |
| Indiana | 8.2 per 100,000 a year | lower than 26% of the others |
| North Carolina | 8.5 per 100,000 a year | lower than 24% of the others |
| Illinois | 10.1 per 100,000 a year | lower than 22% of the others |
| Maryland | 10.1 per 100,000 a year | lower than 20% of the others |
| Georgia | 10.2 per 100,000 a year | lower than 18% of the others |
| Arkansas | 10.6 per 100,000 a year | lower than 16% of the others |
| Tennessee | 10.7 per 100,000 a year | lower than 14% of the others |
| South Carolina | 11.1 per 100,000 a year | lower than 12% of the others |
| Missouri | 11.1 per 100,000 a year | lower than 10% of the others |
| New Mexico | 12.9 per 100,000 a year | lower than 8% of the others |
| Alabama | 13.7 per 100,000 a year | lower than 6% of the others |
| Louisiana | 18.1 per 100,000 a year | lower than 4% of the others |
| Mississippi | 19.7 per 100,000 a year | lower than 2% of the others |
| District of Columbia | 29.0 per 100,000 a year | lower than 0% of the others |
CDC WONDER, Underlying Cause of Death 2018-2024 (Single Race, final), by state of residence · figures as of 2024