The best and worst US states to retire in, ranked

The Villages, Florida. felixmizioznikov/Getty Images 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 Louisville, Kentucky. alexeys/Getty Images Affordability rank: 34Quality-of-life rank: 42Healthcare rank: 47With low rankings across all three categories, WalletHub found Kentucky to be the worst state for retirees in 2026. 49. Oklahoma Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Sean Pavone/Getty Images Affordability rank: 31Quality-of-life rank: 48Healthcare rank: 43 48. Mississippi Jackson, Mississippi. Dennis MacDonald/Getty Images Affordability rank: 9Quality-of-life rank: 49Healthcare rank: 49 47. West Virginia Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Samuel Frontino/Getty Images Affordability rank: 18Quality-of-life rank: 41Healthcare rank: 50 46. Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii. Iryna Olkhova/Getty Images Affordability rank: 49Quality-of-life rank: 21Healthcare rank: 11 45. New York New York City, New York. Brian Logan/Getty Images Affordability rank: 50Quality-of-life rank: 12Healthcare rank: 12 44. Arkansas Hot Springs, Arkansas. Sean Pavone/Getty Images/iStockphoto Affordability rank: 11Quality-of-life rank: 50Healthcare rank: 45 43. Washington Seattle, Washington. SCStock/Getty Images Affordability rank: 46Quality-of-life rank: 17Healthcare rank: 17 42. Rhode Island Providence, Rhode Island. Sanghwan Kim/Getty Images Affordability rank: 40Quality-of-life rank: 39Healthcare rank: 21 41. New Mexico Santa Fe, New Mexico. Sean Pavone/Getty Images Affordability rank: 30Quality-of-life rank: 44Healthcare rank: 36 40. Oregon Portland, Oregon. Nicholas Klein/Getty Images Affordability rank: 43Quality-of-life rank: 27Healthcare rank: 24 39. Louisiana Baton Rouge, Louisiana. felixmizioznikov/Getty Images/iStockphoto Affordability rank: 12Quality-of-life rank: 46Healthcare rank: 46 38. Illinois Rockford, Illinois. GummyBone/Getty Images Affordability rank: 42Quality-of-life rank: 14Healthcare rank: 30 37. Alabama Mobile, Alabama. Cavan Images/Getty Images/iStockphoto Affordability rank: 8Quality-of-life rank: 43Healthcare rank: 48 36. Maryland Cumberland, Maryland PBallay/Getty Images Affordability rank: 41Quality-of-life rank: 20Healthcare rank: 22 35. New Jersey Newark, New Jersey. Leonid Andronov/Getty Images Affordability rank: 45Quality-of-life rank: 30Healthcare rank: 9 34. Connecticut New Haven, Connecticut. Ashley RK Smith/Getty Images Affordability rank: 44Quality-of-life rank: 23Healthcare rank: 6 33. Texas Austin, Texas. BackyardProduction/Getty Images Affordability rank: 25Quality-of-life rank: 38Healthcare rank: 39 32. Tennessee Nashville, Tennessee. Sean Pavone/Getty Images Affordability rank: 4Quality-of-life rank: 47Healthcare rank: 44 31. Nebraska Lincoln, Nebraska. Jacob Boomsma/Getty Images Affordability rank: 38Quality-of-life rank: 28Healthcare rank: 19 30. Vermont Montpelier, Vermont. jenifoto/Getty Images Affordability rank: 47Quality-of-life rank: 3Healthcare rank: 10 29. Georgia Atlanta, Georgia. Sean Pavone/Getty Images Affordability rank: 16Quality-of-life rank: 40Healthcare rank: 40 28. Nevada Reno, Nevada. miroslav_1/Getty Images/iStockphoto Affordability rank: 5Quality-of-life rank: 45Healthcare rank: 42 27. Utah Salt Lake City, Utah. Sean Pavone/Getty Images Affordability rank: 35Quality-of-life rank: 18Healthcare rank: 31 26. Kansas Topeka, Kansas. ChrisBoswell/Getty Images Affordability rank: 29Quality-of-life rank: 31Healthcare rank: 35 25. California Santa Barbara, California. Veronica Slavin/Getty Images Affordability rank: 39Quality-of-life rank: 22Healthcare rank: 8 24. Montana Bozeman, Montana. GummyBone/Getty Images Affordability rank: 36Quality-of-life rank: 10Healthcare rank: 23 23. Massachusetts Waltham, Massachusetts. Bo Shen/Getty Images Affordability rank: 48Quality-of-life rank: 2Healthcare rank: 2 22. Indiana New Albany, Indiana. AUSTIN MEURER/Getty Images Affordability rank: 14Quality-of-life rank: 35Healthcare rank: 41 21. Michigan Manistee, Michigan. otman lazrak/Getty Images Affordability rank: 32Quality-of-life rank: 16Healthcare rank: 29 20. Ohio Akron, Ohio. Sean Pavone/Getty Images/iStockphoto Affordability rank: 22Quality-of-life rank: 13Healthcare rank: 38 19. Maine Camden, Maine. AlbertPego/Getty Images Affordability rank: 37Quality-of-life rank: 4Healthcare rank: 14 18. Arizona Phoenix, Arizona. Sean Pavone/Getty Images Affordability rank: 27Quality-of-life rank: 32Healthcare rank: 16 17. South Carolina Charleston, South Carolina. Susanne Neumann/Getty Images/iStockphoto Affordability rank: 6Quality-of-life rank: 37Healthcare rank: 34 16. Idaho Wallace, Idaho. Kirk Fisher/Getty Images Affordability rank: 21Quality-of-life rank: 24Healthcare rank: 26 15. Missouri St Charles, Missouri. Perry Spring/Getty Images Affordability rank: 10Quality-of-life rank: 29Healthcare rank: 32 14. North Dakota Bismarck, North Dakota. Jacob Boomsma/Getty Images/iStockphoto Affordability rank: 28Quality-of-life rank: 33Healthcare rank: 7 13. North Carolina Charlotte, North Carolina. Leonid Andronov/Getty Images Affordability rank: 7Quality-of-life rank: 26Healthcare rank: 37 12. Virginia Williamsburg, Virginia. Sean Pavone/Getty Images Affordability rank: 20Quality-of-life rank: 15Healthcare rank: 25 11. Wisconsin Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Jon Mattrisch/Getty Images Affordability rank: 24Quality-of-life rank: 9Healthcare rank: 18 10. Iowa Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Sean Pavone/Getty Images Affordability rank: 17Quality-of-life rank: 11Healthcare rank: 28 9. New Hampshire Manchester, New Hampshire. miroslav_1/Getty Images Affordability rank: 23Quality-of-life rank: 8Healthcare rank: 20 8. Pennsylvania Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Sean Pavone/Getty Images Affordability rank: 26Quality-of-life rank: 5Healthcare rank: 13 7. Delaware Wilmington, Delaware Bo Shen/Getty Images Affordability rank: 3Quality-of-life rank: 36Healthcare rank: 15 6. Alaska Anchorage, Alaska. Serhii Horban/Getty Images Affordability rank: 13Quality-of-life rank: 34Healthcare rank: 5 5. Minnesota Minneapolis, Minnesota. Sean Pavone/Getty Images Affordability rank: 33Quality-of-life rank: 7Healthcare rank: 1 4. Colorado Denver, Colorado. RudyBalasko/Getty Images Affordability rank: 19Quality-of-life rank: 19Healthcare rank: 3 3. South Dakota Rapid City, South Dakota. otman lazrak/Getty Images Affordability rank: 15Quality-of-life rank: 25Healthcare rank: 4 2. Florida The Villages, Florida. felixmizioznikov/Getty Images Affordability rank: 2Quality-of-life rank: 1Healthcare rank: 27 1. Wyoming Casper, Wyoming. Jacob Boomsma/Getty Images Affordability rank: 1Quality-of-life rank: 6Healthcare rank: 33Wyoming 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. Read next James LaForge was a Life Fellow on Business Insider's Editorial Partnerships team. He has covered history, lifestyle, and culture for Business Insider and partners, including MSN, Apple News, and Yahoo.He previously wrote for New Jersey Monthly Magazine, covering lifestyle and culture content. He graduated from Ramapo College of New Jersey in 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts.Selected Articles:The almost-presidents: 10 Americans who nearly assumed the nation's highest office11 times US presidents launched military operations without Congressional approvalFrom inspirational quotes to depicting himself as Jesus, see how Trump's social media posts have evolved since 2009A New Jersey mansion served as George Washington's headquarters during the Revolutionary War. Take a look inside.Every US president and first lady who worked as a schoolteacher10 celebrities' favorite sandwiches, from the basic to the bizarreAn entrepreneur is transforming a Cold War-era nuclear silo into an underground data center. Look inside.Every US state's economy, ranked from worst to bestPhotos show life in Western Sahara, which has been dubbed 'Africa's last colony'See inside Thomas Edison's New Jersey lab, where some of America's biggest inventions took shapeRivers, railroads, and political bribes: How every state capital was chosen Roya is a reporter on Business Insider's Editorial Partnerships team. She is based in London. Before joining Business Insider, she worked as a reporter at financial newswire Alliance News and was an intern at The Wall Street Journal. Roya graduated from City St George's, University of London with an MA in International Journalism. Florida Healthcare