The 10 best states for retiring in 2026 — and the 10 worst

Wyoming barely edged out Florida for first place in WalletHub’s rankings.

It ranked first in affordability, sixth in quality of life, and 33rd among the 50 states in health care.

WalletHub also reported that the state has the 10th strongest elder abuse protections and the fifth lowest violent crime rate in the United States. It also has the seventh highest poverty rate in the country among residents aged 65 and older.

It’s no surprise that Florida ranks as the second best state to retire. Florida beaches — perhaps its defining characteristic as a retirement haven — gives it the second-most miles of coastline outside of any state. This factor, along with others, earned Florida the top spot in the quality of life category.

Like Wyoming, health care in Florida ranked second in the bottom half of the report, at 27th, but the state’s relatively high cost of living wasn’t enough to keep it from ranking second in affordability overall.

Florida just missed out on the top spot on the list, trailing Wyoming by just 0.01 points on WalletHub’s 100-point scale.

South Dakota has more to offer than just Mount Rushmore. The state ranked 15th for affordability and 25th for quality of life. Its health care was the best, ranking fourth.

The state also had one of the lowest rates of seniors feeling socially isolated, and the second-lowest rate of seniors experiencing frequent mental distress, according to WalletHub.

Colorado’s rankings for affordability and quality of life were near the middle in the WalletHub report, with both ranking 19th.

The country made up for this by ranking third in health care.

WalletHub ranked Minnesota as the best state for retiree health care. The Midwestern state also ranked seventh for quality of life, resulting in a favorable mix for retirees despite the state ranking 33rd for affordability.

Although it may not be one of the first locations that come to retirees’ minds, Alaska’s good affordability and health care rankings make it the sixth best state to retire, according to a WalletHub report. And if you ask A localThe state’s snow, ice and short winter days may not be as scary as they seem.

Despite these high scores, Alaska’s quality of life ranked 34th out of the 50 states.

Delaware ranked seventh on the list and is a very retiree-friendly state. WalletHub crowned it the second-best state in its “Taxpayers” ranking, leading to a third-place finish for overall affordability.

The state also ranked in the top 15 for health care, and had the fifth-highest percentage of residents age 65 and older.

For these reasons, perhaps retirees can forgive Delaware’s ranking 46th in museums per capita.

It’s anchored by two major cities on opposite ends of the state, with no shortage of stunning scenery Getaway opportunitiesPerhaps it’s no surprise that Pennsylvania ranked in the top five for quality of life.

The state ranked 13th in health care and 26th in affordability.

Of all states, New Hampshire had the highest percentage of its workforce age 65 or older, and the second lowest rate of property crimes.

It is ranked 8th for overall quality of life, 20th for affordability, and 23rd for health care, making it a desirable place to retire.

Ranking 17th in affordability and 11th in the quality of life category means Iowa rounds out the top 10 in the WalletHub report. The Hawkeye State ranked 28th in health care.

At the other end of the rankings, New Mexico ranked as the 10th worst state to retire.

New Mexico has the unfavorable distinction of having the highest property crime rate in the WalletHub report.

Overall, the state ranked 30th in affordability, 44th in quality of life, and 36th in health care.

Meanwhile, Rhode Island had the third-lowest property crime rate, but that wasn’t enough to raise its overall score in the WalletHub report. The state is found to be 40th most expensive and has 39th rank in terms of quality of life.

Rhode Island’s health care ranked first in the first half, ranking 21st.

Although the report ranked Washington 17th in quality of life and health care, the state trailed 46th in affordability, largely because it had the fourth-highest annual cost of home services.

The state was also found to have the third highest rate of property crimes.

Arkansas ranked outside the top 10 states for affordability, at No. 11. It came in second for adjusted cost of living and had the fifth-lowest annual cost of home services.

However, it ranked 45th in health care and had the worst quality of life of all states, WalletHub reported.

For all Empire State draws, Affordability Not one of them.

New York was ranked as the least expensive state in the WalletHub report.

The state ranked 12th in both health care and quality of life, but those benefits were not enough to keep New York out of the top 10.

Hawaii may be one of the idyllic vacation spots in the world, but retirement there is a different story. The state ranks 49th in affordability and has the highest adjusted cost of living in the United States, according to a WalletHub report. On the positive side, it ranked 11th in the field of health care.

Other special considerations, such as climate and transportation, present unique challenges to living in the state. As Business Insider’s Ashley Probst I mentioned“If you asked a born-and-raised Hawaiian what they would say to someone wanting to move here, most of the time their answer would be simply, ‘Don’t.'”

West Virginia ranked 18th among all states for affordability — ranked fifth in adjusted cost of living and ranked third in annual costs of home services, tied with Alabama.

However, the Rust Belt state ranked 41st in quality of life and last in health care.

Mississippi ranked 49th in both quality of life and health care, contributing to its overall ranking of 48th.

Silver lining? The state ranked ninth in terms of affordability, making it one of the most affordable states for retirees.

The fact that Oklahoma has the lowest cost of living in the United States was not enough to offset its ranking of 31st in affordability, 48th in quality of life, and 43rd in health care.

With low ratings in all three categories, WalletHub found that Kentucky is the worst state for retirees in 2026.

The state ranked 34th in affordability, 42nd in quality of life, and 47th in health care.