Retirement: Pa. Is 10th Best Overall and Second Best in This Category

Based on affordability, quality of life and health care, Pennsylvania is No. 10 on WalletHub’s Best and Worst States to Retire (2024) list.

The study compared all 50 U.S. states across these three categories and assigned points for each based on relevant metrics.

Affordability totaled 40 points and included each state’s adjusted cost of living, general tax-friendliness, retired taxpayer-friendliness and other economic factors, totaling 40 points for the category as a whole.

Quality of life offered 30 total points and analyzed metrics such as each state’s share of the population aged 65 and older, risk of social isolation, access to public transportation, mildness of weather and more.

Lastly, access to good health care is important for any older American. This category consisted of 30 total points and took into account factors such as family medicine physicians per capita, home health aides per capita, top-rated geriatrics hospitals, etc.

Pennsylvania squeezes into the top 10 best states for retirees, coming in at No. 10 with an overall score of 56.28 out of 100. For those looking to retire, Pennsylvania is the 35th most affordable, offers the eighth-best health care and, most impressively, has the second-best quality of life for older Americans.

Notably, the top five best places to retire in the country according to U.S. News last year were all located in Pennsylvania. See what these places have to offer to retirees here.

The top five states to retire in overall were Florida, Colorado, Virginia, Delaware and Wyoming.