Best and worst states to retire to in 2025 from lower taxes to weather and healthcare
Here are Bankrate's 2025 Best and Worst States to Retire in the US, estimated by safety, healthcare and more
After decades of deadlines and early alarms, retirement should be about peace of mind, and maybe lower property taxes. Choosing where to move after you retire can set the tone for the rest of your life—and Bankrate's 2025 Best and Worst States to Retire Study is here to help. In this day and age, states like New Hampshire and Florida are topping the charts, offering retirees more than just sunshine. Think safety, healthcare access, and a lifestyle tailored for slowing down without stopping.
Bankrate writes, "New Hampshire, where the state’s motto is 'Live Free or Die'. The Granite State unseats last year’s top scorer, Delaware, which fell to 11th overall."
Stephen Kates, CFP, Bankrate financial analyst says, “Our survey results may be shocking to any retirees who only considered warm weather and income taxes in their relocation plans.”
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“We incorporated 15 different data points into our analysis for a comprehensive perspective on the true costs of retirement across different states," she adds.
Bankrate assessed the data points on the basis of how Americans valued the categories in a national opinion survey. If more participants stated they valued a specific quality such as affordability or the weather, that quality was given more preference.
All 50 states were evaluated across the United States ranging over eight categories, including affordability, safety, health care, taxes, arts and entertainment, people of similar age, and miscellaneous/other including walkability, community well-being, air pollution and water quality.
1 of 12 New Hampshire
New Hampshire claimed the #1 spot as the best place to retire in the United States. Bankrate states that New Hampshire provides a good mix of affordability and quality of life.
"New Hampshire mixes an affordable lifestyle with strong quality-of-life in terms of safety, health care and the arts. As far as taxes, New Hampshire does charge income tax on individual incomes, though it charges a 3-percent tax only on interest and dividends," Bankrate writes.2 of 12 Louisiana
Louisiana fell at the lowest spot in rankings across all categories—especially affordability, neighborhood safety and health care. Bankrate writes, "The property crime and violent crime rates in Louisiana are higher than most states in the US. Even where you might expect the Southern state to shine, in the weather category, Louisiana still managed to rank only 39th, due to the number of tornadoes and the occurrence of 12 hurricanes from 2002 to 2023."
3 of 12 Maine
Maine ranked as the second best state to retire in, with strong scores in a number of categories. The state fared second overall in neighborhood safety, due to the state’s lower rate of violent crime. It also did well in categories such as healthcare, arts and entertainment, and recreation establishments.
4 of 12 Texas
Texas is the second worst state to retire in after Louisiana. "Texas did well in the taxes category (7th), but that was a notable outlier when compared to the state’s other categories," writes Bankrate. Texas ranked 42nd in the category of affordability, and performed poorly even on weather, due to tornadoes and hurricanes.
5 of 12 Wyoming
Wyoming is the ideal retirement destination for those with financial worries, and came third place after New Hampshire and Maine. It topped the category of taxes, partially because it has no individual income tax, and ranked 4th in affordability too. It also fared well in neighborhood safety and arts, entertainment and recreation.
6 of 12 Oklahoma
Oklahoma came in as the third worst place to retire in with many poor rankings, except weather, where it ranked 13 due to the sprawling sunshine experienced by the state. But it fared low in categories such as affordability, arts, healthcare and safety. "Oklahoma’s average home insurance premiums are the third-highest nationwide," Bankrate claims.
7 of 12 Vermont
Vermont is the fourth best state to retire in, despite performing poorly on the weather category and showing the second-lowest levels on sunlight exposure on average. "Vermont topped the arts category with most venues per capita and was also the best state for health care," Bankrate claims. Vermont fared well on other categories as well, including health care and people of similar age.
8 of 12 Arkansas
Arkansas is the fourth worst state to retire in. While it performed well in the weather category (9th), it came in 33rd place in affordability and in the bottom (42nd, 46th and 48th) for health care, safety and arts. "In particular, Arkansas ranked fourth-worst in the violent crimes metric that formed part of the safety category," Bankrate claims.
9 of 12 Idaho
Idaho is the fifth best state to retire in according to Bankrate. The state fared well in the categories of financial issues, affordability and taxes. "The Gem State scored well in neighborhood safety (3rd) and had the lowest rate of property crimes in the country," wrote Bankrate.
10 of 12 Nebraska
Nebraska finishes at the bottom with the fifth worst state to retire in. It ranks low in affordability and also has has the highest average homeowners insurance premiums statewide ($6,097 per year), says Bankrate.
11 of 12 Rhode Island
Rhode Island is the sixth best state to retire in, especially ranking high in the safety and health care categories. It slacked in the affordability and local taxes categories, along with the others (miscellaneous) category.
12 of 12 Alabama
Alabama ranked especially low on the health care and arts category, as per Bankrate, making it the sixth worst state to retire in. It also fared poorly in the weather and taxes categories.