Today, we’ll report on the best states to retire in America. Using the latest data on housing, age, and the things retirees love, we identified the best places to retire in the United States.
The United States offers retirees an incredible range of choices; several states stand out as the best places to hang up your cleats. These states win for various reasons, including warm weather, affordable living, and communities built for folks in their golden years.
We also accounted for the things that make day-to-day retirement life pleasant, giving us a well-rounded approach to where you’d actually want to settle down. Put differently, a state is only as good for retirement as the life it lets you live there.
The states we’re about to mention are pretty great for retirees overall. We ended up with this list of the ten best states to retire.
On the map
The best states to retire in America, mapped
Source: HomeSnacks
As if you didn’t know, central Florida is the pickleball center of the world, where seniors gather regularly for tournaments. That alone might be enough to entice you into moving to the Sunshine State.
If you’re looking to party with your pickleball peers until you die, you’d be in good company. Florida has the most seniors of all other states, where you’ll find a lot of perfume and mumus.
But the main attraction for retirees to the Sunshine State must surely be the tax situation. Florida has no state income tax, estate tax or inheritance tax, and it doesn’t tax Social Security or other retirement income, either.
And in case you hadn’t heard, Florida’s weather ranks 2nd best in the nation behind Hawaii. But let’s be real – this place is a damn swamp for 6 months a year. So, you’d have to decide, would you rather hide inside all summer down here in Florida, or hide inside all winter in places we talked about earlier like New Hampshire.
Or, if you’re lucky enough to be a snowbird, you have two homes and go back and forth.
This state may come as a surprise for those looking for the best state ever to retire in. Perhaps Delaware isn’t a state you dream about when you are working a long shift at work. Yet, Delaware ranks second in best states to retire and the data supports it.
Delaware ranks 6th in density, 9th in percent of households with kids, and 9.5th for median age. Delaware also has a major perk of being close to Washington, D.C. so you can have a calm weekend or a rocking one out on the town.
The smallest state in the U.S. has a big heart for retirement folks. Rhode Island is a state made for the academically-inclined, those who enjoy sailing, small towns, and colonial architecture. It’s also close enough for weekend trips to New York City or Boston so you can have the nightlife without living in it.
Rhode Island ranks 2nd in density, has low crime rates, and is a family-friendly state.
Our first stop? The really pretty state of South Carolina.
Why, you ask, is South Carolina such an amazing place to retire, potentially?
If the mild weather and southern charm of the Palmetto State aren’t enough of a retirement draw, the affordability sure should be. On top of below-average living costs, the tax situation goes easy on a fixed income in South Carolina, where you have low property taxes, and they don’t tax inheritances or Social Security benefits.
In comparison, our worst place to retire is New York, where the cost of living is the 3rd worst in the country, the weather kinda sucks, and it’s not very tax friendly. At all.
Of course, Hawaii’s a great place to retire. If you can afford it. Cause this state has a lot to do to keep a 65 and a half year old entertained for the rest of his or her lifetime.
But the cost of living is just a joke. Hawaii is by far the most expensive state to live in, with an 87% above the US average cost of living.
However, taxes are below average and health care costs are surprisingly affordable at 12% below the national average. The hospitals here are great, seniors here are very active, there’s a large amount of community activities.
And you KNOW there’s pickleball courts everywhere. But we have to imagine it since we couldn’t visit.
The average cost a year to retire in Hawaii is $65,432 a year.
Going up north for number 8 on our list. New Jersey is a state that many people feel are inferior to its neighbor, New York. However, New Jersey has its own perks. Like affordability. In New Jersey, you can eat Hershey’s chocolates all you want fresh from the factory. You can also visit New York City without spending an arm and a leg on rent that will drain your pension and ending your retirement early.
New Jersey has low crime and is filled with people for you to socialize with that are outside of the office life.
Maryland is a state known for its proximity to Washington, D.C. You can reap the affordability of Maryland and use those savings for nights out in D.C. But Maryland has its own great cities to explore as well. Baltimore is a bustling city ready for adventure–just look up its famous boardwalk.
Maryland has high density, meaning you can find loads of people who share your hobbies and interests. And if you want to spend your retirement helping with local universities, Maryland has one of the highest colleges per capita ranks in the country.
Last but not least comes Arizona. Perhaps the warm, humid weather is not for you and you are looking for a more desert climate. Arizona is the land of cacti, cowboys, and heat. You can enjoy summer weather year-round here and probably won’t need to buy expensive in-home saunas in this state. Arizona is home to great trails and desert nature reserves.
And, if you miss the cold, you can even check out an ice hockey game or two for the Phoenix Coyotes. Arizona is great for those looking for university connects during retirement and ranks 2nd in colleges per capita.
The verdict
So what’s the best state to retire in America for 2026?
What’s the best state to retire in America for 2026? It turns out Florida is the best state to retire in the country. We can’t measure love, friends, or health, but we can calculate the things that make retirement comfortable. And in those categories, Florida takes the cake.
Read below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your state ranked. Or check out more on the best cities to retire in America.
Saturday Night Science
How We Determined The Best States To Retire In The US For 2026
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the best places to retire is whether they can afford the life they want there.
However, one statistic only partially encompasses what it means to be one of the ‘best states to retire.’ So we used Saturday Night Science to compare this set of criteria from the newly released 2020-2024 American Community Survey and Zillow:
- Median Age
- Average Home Price
We ranked each state from 1 to 50 for each criterion, with one being the best for retirees. We then averaged all the rankings for a state into a ‘Retire Score’ with the highest overall Retire Score crowned the ‘Best State To Retire In The US For 2026.’ We updated this article for 2026. This list is our eleventh time ranking the best states to retire in America.
You can learn more about the top ten below or skip to the end to see the rankings for every state, including which states are the worst to retire.
The full plate
All 50 states, ranked for retirement
Click any column to sort. Search by state name.
| Rank | State | Retire Score | Population | Average Income | Average Home Price | Median Age | Household With Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | 5.20 | 22,416,077 | $74,568 | $375,662 | 43 | 26.5% |
| 2 | Delaware | 12.20 | 1,021,191 | $84,954 | $402,891 | 42 | 27.4% |
| 3 | Rhode Island | 15.60 | 1,101,801 | $87,796 | $499,272 | 41 | 26.7% |
| 4 | South Carolina | 16.10 | 5,296,225 | $69,324 | $304,083 | 40 | 28.6% |
| 5 | Hawaii | 16.50 | 1,445,235 | $100,389 | $832,967 | 41 | 30.4% |
| 6 | New Jersey | 18.80 | 9,343,809 | $103,556 | $569,411 | 40 | 31.2% |
| 7 | Michigan | 18.80 | 10,077,761 | $72,875 | $259,857 | 40 | 27.1% |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | 19.10 | 13,018,639 | $77,971 | $282,736 | 41 | 26.9% |
| 9 | Maryland | 19.50 | 6,206,011 | $103,678 | $429,705 | 39 | 30.6% |
| 10 | Arizona | 19.70 | 7,378,838 | $79,964 | $423,330 | 39 | 28.7% |
| 11 | Connecticut | 19.70 | 3,624,508 | $95,781 | $436,407 | 41 | 28.6% |
| 12 | North Carolina | 20.70 | 10,730,404 | $72,388 | $336,408 | 39 | 29.1% |
| 13 | New York | 21.00 | 19,852,366 | $85,974 | $507,794 | 40 | 27.3% |
| 14 | West Virginia | 21.60 | 1,778,373 | $59,608 | $174,412 | 43 | 26.4% |
| 15 | New Hampshire | 21.60 | 1,394,868 | $99,031 | $507,347 | 43 | 26.0% |
| 16 | Alabama | 21.80 | 5,086,768 | $63,999 | $236,453 | 39 | 29.0% |
| 17 | Ohio | 21.80 | 11,810,293 | $71,389 | $242,141 | 40 | 28.0% |
| 18 | Wisconsin | 22.40 | 5,914,872 | $77,485 | $330,171 | 40 | 26.1% |
| 19 | Massachusetts | 22.40 | 7,044,056 | $103,960 | $656,690 | 40 | 27.9% |
| 20 | Virginia | 22.70 | 8,705,170 | $93,170 | $412,467 | 39 | 30.2% |
| 21 | Kentucky | 22.90 | 4,534,824 | $63,726 | $231,894 | 39 | 29.8% |
| 22 | Nevada | 23.10 | 3,184,612 | $78,260 | $446,865 | 39 | 29.2% |
| 23 | Illinois | 23.20 | 12,694,798 | $83,390 | $285,736 | 39 | 28.6% |
| 24 | Indiana | 24.20 | 6,851,073 | $71,957 | $254,122 | 38 | 29.9% |
| 25 | New Mexico | 24.30 | 2,120,246 | $64,059 | $316,750 | 39 | 27.5% |
| 26 | Georgia | 24.50 | 10,940,407 | $77,353 | $332,063 | 38 | 31.6% |
| 27 | Vermont | 24.80 | 647,106 | $81,203 | $394,038 | 43 | 23.5% |
| 28 | Louisiana | 24.90 | 4,611,961 | $60,756 | $211,635 | 38 | 30.3% |
| 29 | Tennessee | 25.10 | 7,066,383 | $69,595 | $333,651 | 39 | 29.3% |
| 30 | California | 25.60 | 39,287,377 | $99,122 | $774,582 | 38 | 32.4% |
| 31 | Texas | 25.80 | 30,188,424 | $78,476 | $300,957 | 36 | 34.6% |
| 32 | Mississippi | 26.10 | 2,946,779 | $56,447 | $192,906 | 39 | 31.1% |
| 33 | Maine | 26.20 | 1,387,817 | $74,733 | $407,566 | 45 | 23.7% |
| 34 | Colorado | 26.20 | 5,862,189 | $95,470 | $541,842 | 38 | 28.4% |
| 35 | Missouri | 26.30 | 6,191,814 | $70,702 | $263,040 | 39 | 28.4% |
| 36 | Oregon | 26.50 | 4,254,293 | $83,011 | $499,004 | 40 | 27.2% |
| 37 | Washington | 30.60 | 7,816,116 | $98,141 | $601,016 | 38 | 29.3% |
| 38 | Montana | 30.70 | 1,116,875 | $72,509 | $466,917 | 40 | 25.4% |
| 39 | Arkansas | 31.60 | 3,049,391 | $60,773 | $222,050 | 38 | 30.6% |
| 40 | Iowa | 32.30 | 3,210,507 | $75,059 | $231,585 | 39 | 28.5% |
| 41 | Wyoming | 32.70 | 582,397 | $76,176 | $363,227 | 39 | 28.0% |
| 42 | Minnesota | 32.80 | 5,739,445 | $89,062 | $346,668 | 39 | 28.7% |
| 43 | Utah | 34.40 | 3,392,331 | $95,166 | $537,810 | 32 | 37.8% |
| 44 | Kansas | 36.40 | 2,947,197 | $74,275 | $244,761 | 37 | 30.1% |
| 45 | Idaho | 36.40 | 1,934,262 | $77,800 | $473,335 | 37 | 31.9% |
| 46 | Oklahoma | 36.60 | 4,028,634 | $65,039 | $220,468 | 37 | 31.3% |
| 47 | Nebraska | 39.20 | 1,978,707 | $76,475 | $276,500 | 37 | 30.1% |
| 48 | South Dakota | 40.50 | 907,428 | $75,081 | $317,148 | 38 | 29.0% |
| 49 | North Dakota | 40.60 | 784,841 | $76,657 | $284,076 | 36 | 27.4% |
| 50 | Alaska | 43.30 | 735,706 | $92,788 | $387,636 | 36 | 31.6% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, Zillow research.
There You Have It — The Best States To Retire In The Country
After measuring every retirement factor that makes sense, there isn’t a straightforward ‘region’ that owns retirement. But if we had to pick, the warmer, more affordable corners of the country win out. If you live in one of the states mentioned above, you’re sitting pretty for your golden years.
Does picking the right state make retirement better? Perhaps. But the right place does indeed buy a little extra happiness — ask someone stuck somewhere they can’t stand.
The best states to retire in the United States for 2026 are Florida, Delaware, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Hawaii, New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Arizona.
In most of these states, retirees have it made. They have warm afternoons, things to do, and neighbors in the same season of life. But every place has trade-offs. Settling far from old friends or family means new routines and new faces. For some, that fresh start is exactly the point.
For the rest of America, we can feel better about ourselves when we define a great retirement as love, friends, health, or the little things in life.
Questions and answers
Best States To Retire FAQs
What is the best state to retire in?
Florida is the best state to retire in America for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Delaware and Rhode Island round out the top three.
What are the top 10 states to retire in?
The best states to retire are Florida, Delaware, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Hawaii, New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Arizona. We ranked all 50 states on age, housing, and the things retirees care about.
How do you rank the best retirement states?
Each state is scored on median age, housing costs, and retiree-relevant quality of life measures, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Florida, takes the top spot.
How expensive are homes in the top retirement states?
The median home across the ten best retirement states runs $413,110, versus $332,700 nationwide. In Florida, the typical household also earns $74,568 a year.
What state came in last for retirees?
Alaska lands at the bottom of the retirement ranking for 2026. Retirees make it work everywhere — the numbers just favor the other end of the table.
