Retirement is full of decisions, and the state you choose to retire in could be the most important one.
A recent WalletHub study pitted the 50 states against one another across three main categories — affordability, quality of life, and healthcare — to determine the best places for retirement.
The three factors were assessed using 46 different metrics. To determine a state’s affordability, metrics such as adjusted cost of living and retired taxpayer-friendliness were considered. Quality of life included metrics such as the risk of social isolation, the mildness of the weather, and even the number of bingo halls per capita, while the healthcare category considered metrics such as nurses, dentists, and health aides per capita, life expectancy, and more.
“Retirement is supposed to be relaxing, but it can also be incredibly stressful given that it typically puts people on a fixed income, which may not be enough for them to live comfortably,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the study. “As a result, the best states for retirees are those that have low taxes and a low cost of living to help retirees’ budgets stretch as far as possible.”
WalletHub used data from the US Census Bureau, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other sources.
These are the states to retire in, ranked from worst to best.
50. Kentucky
Affordability rank: 34
Quality-of-life rank: 42
Healthcare rank: 47
With low rankings across all three categories, WalletHub found Kentucky to be the worst state for retirees in 2026.
49. Oklahoma
Affordability rank: 31
Quality-of-life rank: 48
Healthcare rank: 43
48. Mississippi
Affordability rank: 9
Quality-of-life rank: 49
Healthcare rank: 49
47. West Virginia
Affordability rank: 18
Quality-of-life rank: 41
Healthcare rank: 50
46. Hawaii
Affordability rank: 49
Quality-of-life rank: 21
Healthcare rank: 11
45. New York
Affordability rank: 50
Quality-of-life rank: 12
Healthcare rank: 12
44. Arkansas
Affordability rank: 11
Quality-of-life rank: 50
Healthcare rank: 45
43. Washington
Affordability rank: 46
Quality-of-life rank: 17
Healthcare rank: 17
42. Rhode Island
Affordability rank: 40
Quality-of-life rank: 39
Healthcare rank: 21
41. New Mexico
Affordability rank: 30
Quality-of-life rank: 44
Healthcare rank: 36
40. Oregon
Affordability rank: 43
Quality-of-life rank: 27
Healthcare rank: 24
39. Louisiana
Affordability rank: 12
Quality-of-life rank: 46
Healthcare rank: 46
38. Illinois
Affordability rank: 42
Quality-of-life rank: 14
Healthcare rank: 30
37. Alabama
Affordability rank: 8
Quality-of-life rank: 43
Healthcare rank: 48
36. Maryland
Affordability rank: 41
Quality-of-life rank: 20
Healthcare rank: 22
35. New Jersey
Affordability rank: 45
Quality-of-life rank: 30
Healthcare rank: 9
34. Connecticut
Affordability rank: 44
Quality-of-life rank: 23
Healthcare rank: 6
33. Texas
Affordability rank: 25
Quality-of-life rank: 38
Healthcare rank: 39
32. Tennessee
Affordability rank: 4
Quality-of-life rank: 47
Healthcare rank: 44
31. Nebraska
Affordability rank: 38
Quality-of-life rank: 28
Healthcare rank: 19
30. Vermont
Affordability rank: 47
Quality-of-life rank: 3
Healthcare rank: 10
29. Georgia
Affordability rank: 16
Quality-of-life rank: 40
Healthcare rank: 40
28. Nevada
Affordability rank: 5
Quality-of-life rank: 45
Healthcare rank: 42
27. Utah
Affordability rank: 35
Quality-of-life rank: 18
Healthcare rank: 31
26. Kansas
Affordability rank: 29
Quality-of-life rank: 31
Healthcare rank: 35
25. California
Affordability rank: 39
Quality-of-life rank: 22
Healthcare rank: 8
24. Montana
Affordability rank: 36
Quality-of-life rank: 10
Healthcare rank: 23
23. Massachusetts
Affordability rank: 48
Quality-of-life rank: 2
Healthcare rank: 2
22. Indiana
Affordability rank: 14
Quality-of-life rank: 35
Healthcare rank: 41
21. Michigan
Affordability rank: 32
Quality-of-life rank: 16
Healthcare rank: 29
20. Ohio
Affordability rank: 22
Quality-of-life rank: 13
Healthcare rank: 38
19. Maine
Affordability rank: 37
Quality-of-life rank: 4
Healthcare rank: 14
18. Arizona
Affordability rank: 27
Quality-of-life rank: 32
Healthcare rank: 16
17. South Carolina
Affordability rank: 6
Quality-of-life rank: 37
Healthcare rank: 34
16. Idaho
Affordability rank: 21
Quality-of-life rank: 24
Healthcare rank: 26
15. Missouri
Affordability rank: 10
Quality-of-life rank: 29
Healthcare rank: 32
14. North Dakota
Affordability rank: 28
Quality-of-life rank: 33
Healthcare rank: 7
13. North Carolina
Affordability rank: 7
Quality-of-life rank: 26
Healthcare rank: 37
12. Virginia
Affordability rank: 20
Quality-of-life rank: 15
Healthcare rank: 25
11. Wisconsin
Affordability rank: 24
Quality-of-life rank: 9
Healthcare rank: 18
10. Iowa
Affordability rank: 17
Quality-of-life rank: 11
Healthcare rank: 28
9. New Hampshire
Affordability rank: 23
Quality-of-life rank: 8
Healthcare rank: 20
8. Pennsylvania
Affordability rank: 26
Quality-of-life rank: 5
Healthcare rank: 13
7. Delaware
Affordability rank: 3
Quality-of-life rank: 36
Healthcare rank: 15
6. Alaska
Affordability rank: 13
Quality-of-life rank: 34
Healthcare rank: 5
5. Minnesota
Affordability rank: 33
Quality-of-life rank: 7
Healthcare rank: 1
4. Colorado
Affordability rank: 19
Quality-of-life rank: 19
Healthcare rank: 3
3. South Dakota
Affordability rank: 15
Quality-of-life rank: 25
Healthcare rank: 4
2. Florida
Affordability rank: 2
Quality-of-life rank: 1
Healthcare rank: 27
1. Wyoming
Affordability rank: 1
Quality-of-life rank: 6
Healthcare rank: 33
Wyoming barely edged out Florida for the overall No. 1 spot on WalletHub’s ranking.
WalletHub also reported the state had the 10th strongest elder-abuse protections and the fifth-lowest violent crime rate in the US. It also has the nation’s seventh-lowest poverty rate among residents ages 65 and up.
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