The top state for retirement this year leads in affordability and quality of life but lags when it comes to healthcare, according to one new ranking.
The rankings for 2022 come from Wallethub, which looked at three key dimensions: affordability (40 points), quality of life (30 points) and healthcare (30 points).
Several components make up a state's healthcare score, including physicians and nurses per capita, life expectancy, healthcare facilities per capita, CMS ranking of hospitals and percentage of residents who are fully vaccinated.
Some insights into the rankings and scores:
- Florida ranks No. 1 overall, coming into fourth and fifth place for affordability and quality of life, respectively, but lagging in 27th place for healthcare.
- Total scores for the top three states — Florida, Virginia and Colorado — are so close, they are nearly a draw.
- Alabama is ranked the most affordable state in the U.S., and New York is the least affordable.
- Massachusetts is the top state in the country for quality, and Mississippi has the lowest ranking for this domain.
- Healthcare and affordability are at odds for several states. For instance, Minnesota is the top state in the country for healthcare, but No. 36 for affordability. Alabama has the lowest ranking for healthcare, but No. 1 for affordability.
- Below are the top 15 states and bottom 15 states. This listing includes ties. The complete ranking and scoring can be found here.
The best
1. Florida
2. Virginia
3. Colorado
4. Delaware
5. Minnesota
6. North Dakota
7. Montana
8. Utah
9. Arizona
9. New Hampshire
11. Idaho
12. South Carolina
13. Wyoming
14. South Dakota
15. Wisconsin
The worst
35. Georgia
36. New Mexico
37. Alaska
38. Oregon
39. Tennessee
40. Washington
41. Louisiana
42. West Virginia
43. Arkansas
44. Rhode Island
45. Illinois
46. Oklahoma
47. Kentucky
48. New York
49. Mississippi
50. New Jersey