Georgia is the best state to retire in and Maryland is the worst, according to a new study released by Bankrate.com. on Wednesday.
All 50 states were examined on the basis of affordability, wellness, culture, weather, and crime, with affordability given the heaviest emphasis and crime the least.
Even though Georgia ranked in the bottom half for both culture and wellness, the Peach State still won the top spot due to it being the third-most affordable place to live and having the fourth-best weather in the country.
On the opposite side of the chart, Maryland was named as the worst state to retire in even though it was fourth-best for wellness. Its last-place finish was due to rankings in the bottom half in the categories of affordability, culture, weather, and crime.
Florida was ranked as the second best place to retire, but the rest of the Top 5 places were more surprising, according to Bankrate.com
Tennessee finished in third place, largely on the strength of its No. 1 ranking for affordability. Missouri was in fourth place for best place to retire, bolstered by it No. 3 ranking for affordability Massachusetts rounded out the Top 5, catapulted to its high position due to first-place ranking for wellness.
At the bottom end of the list, Minnesota was second to last due to poor rankings in affordability and weather. Kansas was third-worst, largely due to its low ranking for culture. Bad weather harmed the scores of the other two states (Montana and Alaska) to round out the bottom five, with the Last Frontier State also finishing second to last in crime.
For its method of ranking, Bankrate looked at a many public and private datasets connected to the life of a retiree. The weighting of the five categories was as follows: affordability (40%), wellness (20%), culture (15%), weather (15%), and crime (10%).
Bankrate.com analyst Jeff Ostrowski pointed out that "deciding where to retire is a deeply personal choice, and a state-by-state index can’t capture every factor that matters to you."
He noted that "some people want to stay close to family and friends. Others want warmer winters, more affordable housing or a slower pace of life."
Ostrowski suggested that "before you make a move, think hard about the various factors that are important to you."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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