2023 Best and Worst States to Retire
Website BANKRATE.COM annually publishes a list of the “Best and Worst States for Retirement“. On August 16, 2023 Bankrate.com released its ranked list for year 2023. The state of Iowa came out on top because of its affordability. All states were scored on the following:
- Affordability (40%)
- Well-being (25%)
- Quality/Costs of Healthcare (20%)
- Weather (10%)
- Crime (5%)
Iowa scored high in affordability, low rate of crime and the quality/costs for its healthcare. Here are some quotes from the article:
The cost of living in Iowa for an individual is $1,512 per month, including rent, according to LivingCost.org. That’s about 73 percent of the cost of the U.S. average, making Iowa considerably more affordable.
Iowa also scored well in healthcare, which carried a 20 percent waiting in the rankings. Overall, Iowa ranked 11th here, making it a significant factor in the state’s overall ranking. The factors affecting this ranking include healthcare cost per capita, health care establishments per capita and state health system performance.
Crime holds the lowest weight in the Bankrate scoring system, just 5 percent, and so Iowa’s good score there doesn’t carry much weight in its overall score. The state scores among the lower third of states in terms of the lowest violent crimes and property crimes.
More details can be found about the Best State to Retire webpage.