These are the best states for retirement in 2025, study finds
FILE-A couple ride their bicycles through a neighborhood. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images)
Retirement is a goal that most Americans look forward to after years of service at a job. Once you reach this stage in life, the burden of worrying about work commutes or tasks to manage at the office is a distant memory.
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Depending on how you’re planning to bask in the freedom of spending your days the way you want, there are certain regions of the country that offer optimal enjoyment for retirees, according to a new Bankrate study.
Best and worst states for retirees in 2025
Why you should care: The New York-based financial services company compiled its ranking of the best and worst states for retirement by comparing all 50 states across 15 data points and eight categories: affordability, weather, safety, health care, taxes, arts and entertainment, people of a similar age, and miscellaneous/other. Researchers polled 2,260 people which took place between May 14-16, 2025, by YouGov Plc.
Researchers also collected data for the report from the U.S. Census, the Council for Community and Economic Research, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Best states for retirement
- New Hampshire
- Maine
- Wyoming
- Vermont
- Idaho
- Rhode Island
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Utah
- Virginia
Worst states for retirement
- Louisiana
- Texas
- Oklahoma
- Arkansas
- Nebraska
- Alabama
- Kansas
- California
- New Mexico
- Florida
Analysis of top states for retirement
Dig deeper:
New Hampshire, Maine, Wyoming, Vermont, and Idaho are the top five states for retirement this year, and here’s what researchers are saying about the data.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire secured the number one ranking as the best state for retirees as it earned marks in several top categories evaluated in the study, like neighborhood safety, health care, local taxes, people of a similar age, miscellaneous/other categories, and arts, entertainment, and recreation establishments. Bankrate noted that the state has a combination of an affordable lifestyle and an adequate quality of life when it comes to safety, health care, and the arts.
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Maine
Maine earned high rankings for neighborhood safety, with the state having a low violent crime rate, as well as health care, arts, entertainment, and recreation establishments. The study shows that Maine earned low marks for weather, with one of the lowest levels of sunlight exposure on average in the nation.
Wyoming
Wyoming received its highest scores in the category of taxes, in part because the state has no individual income tax and ranked in the top five in overall affordability. The study noted that the state received high grades for neighborhood safety arts, entertainment, and recreation. But the state ranked lower in the areas of seniors and health care.
Vermont
Vermont ranked fourth on the list, primarily with a high score in the arts category, because the state has the most venues per capita and was also the best state for health care, according to Bankrate. The state ranked second for most similarly aged residents and had a solid rating for affordability.
Idaho
Idaho achieved high scores in the study for neighborhood safety and had the lowest rate of property crimes in the U.S. The state also performed well on financial issues, including affordability and taxes. However, scores in the categories of arts, weather, and people of a similar age weren’t as high.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by Bankrate, which ranked the best and worst states for retirement by comparing all 50 states across 15 data points and eight categories: Affordability, weather, safety, health care, taxes, arts and entertainment, people of a similar age, and miscellaneous/other. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.