Pennsylvania Named 8th Best State to Retire in 2026

Pennsylvania is the eighth best state to retire, according to WalletHub. 

With an overall total score of 56.85 out of 100, the commonwealth falls less than five points behind the no. 1 state – Wyoming with 61.56 points. 

The state especially excels in the quality of life category, ranking fifth overall nationwide. This category looked at qualities such as risk of social isolation, elderly-friendly labor market, elderly food insecurity rate, access to public transportation, mildness of weather and number of museums, theaters, golf courses and bingo halls per capita.  

Pennsylvania also ranked 13th nationwide in the health care category, highlighting the Keystone State’s number of family medicine physicians, dentists, nurses, home health aides, top-rated geriatrics hospitals and more. This category also took into consideration the well-being index for populations 55 and older, as well as the quality of public hospitals. 

Overall, Pennsylvania’s top 10 placement on the list of best states to retire in 2026 comes as no surprise, as many Pennsylvania cities have been lauded for their retirement potential in recent years, including Pittsburgh, Camp Hill, Harrisburg, Reading, Lancaster, Scranton and Allentown.