What It’s Like to Retire in Georgia Compared to Other States

Deciding where to live in retirement is one of the most important decisions many retirees in the United States need to make. While some may want to stay close to family and friends, others may prioritize affordable housing, a reasonable cost of living, and a low tax rate to maximize retirement income. Safety, access to health care, and climate are also big factors.

Using data from financial services company and personal finance website Bankrate, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the best and worst states to retire. Bankrate analyzed multiple data points and assigned a weight to each category: affordability (40%), well-being (20%), culture and diversity (15%), weather (15%), and crime (10%).

According to the report, Georgia ranks as the second best place to retire among the 50 states. The state ranks fourth best in weather, its best performing category. This category takes into account climate data and the likelihood of natural disasters. Georgia’s worst performing category is culture and diversity. In this category, which takes into account venues for arts, entertainment, and recreation as well as the population’s racial and ethnic diversity, Georgia ranks 14th worst in the country.

Of the 10,516,579 people who reside in Georgia, 13.9% are 65 or older, the fourth smallest share among states, according to five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 American Community Survey.

All data in this story is from Bankrate and the U.S. Census Bureau. A full methodological explanation is available here.

Overall rankStateBest categoryBest category ranking (of 50 states)Worst CategoryWorst category ranking (of 50 states)Population age 65 and older (%)
1FloridaCulture and diversity1Crime2720.5
2GeorgiaWeather4Culture and diversity3713.9
3MichiganAffordability1Well-being3917.2
4OhioAffordability11Culture and diversity3417.0
5MissouriAffordability3Crime4216.9
6KentuckyWeather3Culture and diversity5016.4
7TexasAffordability9Culture and diversity4812.5
8TennesseeAffordability2Crime4516.4
9PennsylvaniaCrime12Weather3318.3
10South DakotaAffordability15Weather4116.7
11West VirginiaWeather8Well-being4819.9
12MississippiAffordability4Well-being5015.9
13ArizonaWeather1Crime4117.6
14IowaCrime12Weather3117.1
15North CarolinaAffordability16Well-being3816.3
16IllinoisWell-being13Culture and diversity3115.7
17WisconsinCrime12Weather3816.9
18IndianaAffordability12Culture and diversity4315.7
19OklahomaAffordability6Culture and diversity4615.7
20New YorkWell-being5Affordability4216.5
21VirginiaCrime9Culture and diversity4015.4
22WyomingCrime7Weather4916.4
23New HampshireCrime1Weather4518.1
24North DakotaWell-being16Weather4615.3
25South CarolinaWeather16Crime4617.7
26New JerseyWell-being3Affordability4616.2
27NevadaCulture and diversity11Crime4015.8
28ColoradoWell-being7Weather4414.2
29ArkansasAffordability8Well-being4916.9
30NebraskaWell-being19Weather3715.7
31UtahWell-being10Culture and diversity4711.1
32MassachusettsWell-being1Affordability4716.5
33IdahoCrime6Weather4315.8
34Rhode IslandCrime7Affordability4417.3
35MinnesotaWell-being15Weather4215.8
36AlabamaAffordability10Well-being4616.9
37KansasAffordability20Culture and diversity4515.8
38OregonCulture and diversity6Affordability4017.6
39LouisianaWeather6Crime4815.4
40DelawareCulture and diversity2Affordability3918.8
41WashingtonWell-being9Affordability3815.4
42HawaiiWell-being2Affordability5018.4
43ConnecticutCrime4Affordability4817.2
44MarylandWell-being4Affordability4315.4
45VermontCulture and diversity3Affordability4519.4
46MontanaCulture and diversity10Weather4718.7
47New MexicoWeather12Crime5017.4
48CaliforniaWell-being6Affordability4914.3
49MaineCrime2Weather5020.6
50AlaskaCulture and diversity26Crime4911.9

by Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall St. via The Center Square

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