Florida Dominates U.S. News & World Report's Best Places to Retire Rankings Once Again
Florida's reign as America's most-desirable state to retire continues!
U.S. News & World Report has released its 2021-2021 list of the best places to retire, and the Sunshine State has once again dominated the competition, cinching eight of the top 10 spots and 11 of the top 20. Last year, Florida claimed seven of the top 10 spots.
The annual list evaluates the country's 150 most populous metropolitan areas based on how well they meet Americans' expectations for retirement, with measures including housing affordability, health care, and overall happiness.
Despite decreases in health care, housing, and happiness scores, Sarasota maintained the top spot due to increases in desirability, retiree tax, and job market scores, the report explains. Naples jumped two places to number two, while Daytona Beach landed at number three.
Daytona Beach's 12-spot jump is largely credited to its good air quality and low crime rate—two factors that U.S. News used to calculate the rankings' overall happiness scores for the first time this year.
"After over a year of staying at home, many people are dreaming about a Florida beach retirement. Florida dominates this year's ranking of the Best Places to Retire, taking eight of the top 10 spots on the list," Emily Brandon, U.S. News senior editor for retirement, said in a statement.
The top-10 rankings for 2021-2022 are below:
1. Sarasota, FL
2. Naples, FL
3. Daytona Beach, FL
4. Melbourne, FL
5. Lancaster, PA
6. Tampa, FL
7. Fort Myers, FL
8. Port St. Lucie, FL
9. Ann Arbor, MI
10. Pensacola, FL
Other high-ranking, non-Florida locations include Asheville, North Carolina, which took home the 14th spot, and Knoxville, Tennessee, which ranked 20th.
Looks like you snowbirds are onto something!
