Best Retirement Cities in the U.S.: Bankrate's 2024 Ranking

Pittsburgh? Boston? Minneapolis?

If you’re surprised to see them at the top of Bankrate’s ranking of best and worst cities for retirement, don’t be. Places that might offer seniors the best standard of living may look a lot different from our traditional sun-and-golf idea of retirement havens.

We scored the 50 largest U.S. metro areas for their: health care quality; tax burdens; crime rates; living costs; weather; public transportation; cultural amenities (things to do); percentage of the population over 65; and the overall well-being of seniors, as measured by the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index.

The ranking is based on the score totals. On the chart below, see how your dream destination fared. And make sure you’re saving enough to afford your perfect retirement.

Best places to retire in America

Rank City Cost of living Crime rate Health care Population 65+ Public transit Taxes Things to do Weather Well-being 1 Pittsburgh Very low Very low Good Great Poor Average Average Poor Good 2 Boston High Very low Great Average Below average Average Good Below average Good 3 Los Angeles High Low Below average Below average Below average High Great Great Good 4 Denver Low Low Good Below average Poor Low Average Below average Great 5 Providence, Rhode Island Average Very low Great Good Poor High Average Below average Good 6 Minneapolis Low Very low Good Below average Below average High Average Poor Great 7 Tampa-St. Petersburg, Florida Very low Low Average Great Poor Low Below average Below average Good 8 Phoenix Very low Low Average Average Poor Low Poor Average Great 9 Austin, Texas Very low Low Average Poor Poor Very low Average Below average Average 10 Dallas Very low Low Average Poor Poor Very low Below average Below average Average 11 Raleigh, North Carolina Very low Very low Good Poor Poor Average Below average Below average Good 12 Portland, Oregon Average Very low Below average Below average Below average Average Average Below average Great 13 Charlotte, North Carolina Very low Low Average Below average Poor Average Below average Average Good 14 Nashville, Tennessee Very low Average Below average Below average Poor Very low Good Below average Below average 15 Philadelphia Low Low Good Average Below average High Average Below average Average 16 Richmond, Virginia Very low Very low Average Average Poor Low Below average Below average Average 17 Milwaukee Low Average Great Average Poor High Average Poor Great 18 New York Very high Very low Below average Average Great Very high Good Below average Average 19 Jacksonville, Florida Very low Average Average Average Poor Low Below average Below average Good 20 Virginia Beach, Virginia Very low Low Average Below average Poor Low Below average Below average Average 21 New Orleans Very low Average Average Average Poor Very low Average Below average Below average 22 Chicago Low Very low Average Below average Good High Below average Poor Below average 23 San Diego High Very low Below average Below average Below average High Below average Great Good 24 Orlando, Florida Very low Average Average Average Poor Low Below average Below average Good 25 Salt Lake City Very low High Good Poor Poor Average Below average Below average Great 26 San Antonio Very low Average Average Below average Poor Very low Poor Below average Average 27 San Francisco Very high Average Below average Average Below average High Good Great Good 28 Sacramento, California Average Low Below average Average Poor High Below average Good Good 29 Detroit Very low Low Average Average Poor Low Below average Poor Average 30 Miami Low Average Average Great Below average Low Below average Poor Good 31 San Jose, California Very high Very low Below average Below average Poor High Average Great Good 32 St. Louis Very low Low Average Average Poor Average Below average Below average Below average 33 Birmingham, Alabama Very low High Average Average Poor Low Poor Below average Average 34 Seattle Average Average Below average Below average Poor Low Average Below average Good 35 Cincinnati Very low Low Average Average Poor Average Below average Below average Below average 36 Cleveland Very low Low Average Good Poor Average Average Poor Below average 37 Hartford, Connecticut Average Very low Good Good Poor Very high Average Poor Good 38 Houston Very low Average Average Poor Poor Very low Poor Below average Average 39 Columbus, Ohio Very low Low Average Below average Poor Average Below average Poor Below average 40 Kansas City, Missouri Very low Average Average Average Poor Low Below average Below average Average 41 Washington, D.C. High Very low Poor Below average Average Low Good Below average Average 42 Las Vegas Low High Poor Average Poor Very low Below average Average Below average 43 Baltimore Average Average Average Average Poor High Below average Below average Average 44 Oklahoma City Very low Average Below average Below average Poor Low Below average Below average Poor 45 Atlanta Very low Average Poor Poor Poor Low Below average Average Below average 46 Indianapolis Very low High Below average Below average Poor Average Below average Poor Below average 47 Buffalo, New York Very low Low Below average Good Poor Very high Average Poor Average 48 Louisville, Kentucky Very low Average Below average Average Poor Average Below average Below average Poor 49 Memphis, Tennessee Very low Very high Below average Below average Poor Very low Poor Below average Below average 50 Riverside, California Very high Low Below average Below average Poor High Poor Good Good

Sources: U.S. Census, The Tax Foundation, Creative Vitality Suite, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, The Council for Community and Economic Research, United Health Foundation, Gallup Sharecare Well-Being Index, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Healthview Services, Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

For data only available on a state basis, we applied statistics proportionally in the metro area based on metro residents who live in each state.

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