These 5 Cities Are Becoming Unpopular With Baby Boomers: Here’s Why
Written by
Yaël Bizouati-Kennedy
Edited by
Molly Sullivan
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Cities in states such as Florida and Arizona come to mind when thinking about locations of choice for boomers’ retirements. Not so fast. According to a YouGov survey, some of their favorite cities are in fact Denver and Nashville, Tennessee.
Now, when it comes to their least favorite cities in the country, the survey’s results might surprise you.
There are plenty of factors that come into play when picking a location for retirement, including cost of living, weather and crime rate as well as access to attractions and transportation.
“Many boomers have the flexibility to target areas to live that strike the quality-of-life balance they are looking for,” said Hannah Jones, senior economic research analyst at Realtor.com.
According to her, the older generation of homebuyers may be less excited about living in areas that are especially young, busy, expensive or too work-centric as they enter retirement.
Another factor putting certain cities at the bottom? The weather. As Jones noted, most of the lowest-ranked cities in the survey boast either less-than-balmy winters or hot and humid summers — both of which boomers may choose to avoid. This cohort is also ditching certain cities because the costs are skyrocketing and crime rates are making them think twice.
“Places like San Francisco and Seattle? Too expensive. Austin? Hot and fast-paced,” said Dutch Mendenhall, co-founder of RADD Companies.
Mendenhall added that boomers want comfort, affordability and a laid-back vibe, adding that high living costs, harsh climates and overcrowding are pushing them toward more relaxed, affordable areas where they can truly enjoy retirement.
According to the YouGov survey, here are some of the cities that are becoming unpopular with boomers.
New Philadelphia, Ohio
- Boomer positive rating: 20%
- Crime index: 92 (100 being the safest, it’s safer than 92% of U.S. cities)
- Population: 17,677
- Median age of residents: 42.8 years
- Median household income: $55,590
- Average annual temperature range: 30° to 73° Fahrenheit
Detroit
- Boomer positive rating: 24%
- Crime index: 1 (safer than 1% of U.S. cities)
- Population: 639,111
- Median age of residents: 35.3 years
- Median household income: $36, 453
- Average annual temperature range: 25° to 74° Fahrenheit
Oakland, California
- Boomer positive rating: 26%
- Crime index: 0 (safer than 0% of U.S. cities)
- Population: 440,446
- Median age of residents: 38.7 years
- Median household income: $93,146
- Average annual temperature range: 60° to 75° Fahrenheit
Fresno, California
- Boomer positive rating: 28%
- Crime index: 4 (safer than 4% of U.S. cities,)
- Population: 1,008,654
- Median age of residents: 32.4 years
- Median household income: $69,571
- Average annual temperature range: 40° to 70° Fahrenheit
Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Boomer positive rating: 20%
- Crime index: 2 (safer than 2% of U.S. cities)
- Population: 413,066
- Median age of residents: 35.8 years
- Median household income: $54,040
- Average annual temperature range: 38° to 84° Fahrenheit
Population data comes from the American Community Survey, median age of residents is from 24/7 Wall Street median household income is from the Census Bureau, annual crime data from NeighborhoodScout, and average temperatures from NOAA.
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