15 Cities Where People Want To Retire — Can You Afford Them?

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If you had a dollar for every time the terms “retire” and “sunny Florida” were used in the same sentence, you’d probably be rich enough to retire just about anywhere in sunny Florida you want. In fact, a Google search of those three words — “retire,” “sunny” and “Florida” — brings back about 5.5 million results.

But while data from Hire a Helper indicated that Florida is the No. 1 destination for retirees who move to another state, its hold on the top spot has slipped in recent years.

According to a new analysis from financial services company Empower, only two Florida cities rank among the 15 U.S. cities retirees most want to live in. That’s the same number of cities as Colorado — which has never been considered especially warm or sunny. Although most cities on the list are located in the Sun Belt, there are also a couple scattered in the Northeast and Pacific Northwest.

Empower also looked at the 20 most affordable U.S. cities to retire in. Florida fared much better on that list, with six cities listed. Again, the majority of cities are in warm weather climates — 14 out of the 20 — but there were also a several cities that can get downright frigid for part of the year.

Interestingly, of the 15 most popular cities for retirees, only five made the “most affordable” list.

For its analysis, Empower surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults — including 200 retirees — to get their perspectives on the best cities to live in and what qualities make them most appealing. The survey was conducted in July 2023 by Fractl on behalf of Empower. It rated cities on the following variables:

• Tax friendliness (30% of the score).
• Healthcare quality and access (25%).
• Home affordability (20%).
• Cost of living (15%).
• Sunshine percentage (10%).

Retirees were also asked their top priorities when deciding where to live. Cost of living came in first, followed by being close to family, crime rates, weather and home prices.

Here are the 15 cities retirees most want to live:

1. San Diego, California: Mentioned by 19% of respondents.
2. Virginia Beach, Virginia: 12%.
3. Charlotte, North Carolina: 12%.
4. Tampa, Florida: 12%.
5. Nashville, Tennessee: 12%.
6. Colorado Springs, Colorado: 11%.
7. Portland, Oregon: 11%.
8. Las Vegas, Nevada: 11%.
9. Denver, Colorado: 11%.
10. Seattle, Washington: 10%.
11. Raleigh, North Carolina: 10%.
12. Jacksonville, Florida: 10%.
13. Tucson, Arizona: 8%.
14. Boston, Massachusetts: 7%.
15. Atlanta, Georgia: 7%.

Of those cities, five also appeared on the list of most affordable cities: Colorado Springs, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Tampa and Virginia Beach. Three of the most desirable cities — Boston, Portland and Seattle — consistently rank among the most expensive cities in the United States.

Fifteen of the most affordable cities for retirees did not make the list of most desirable cities to live in:

• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
• Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
• Detroit, Michigan.
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• Reno, Nevada.
• Tallahassee, Florida.
• Gainesville, Florida.
• Grand Rapids, Michigan.
• Columbus, Georgia.
• Augusta, Georgia.
• Spokane, Washington.
• Port St. Lucie, Florida.
• Memphis, Tennessee.
• Richmond, Virginia.
• Orlando, Florida.

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