Illinois’ Ranking on the List of the Best Places to Retire
If you've got an X on a certain date on your calendar marking your retirement, the next question is "Where are you going to spend your retirement?" Sure, many will say Florida, Arizona, or Texas--but what about those who choose to stay here in Illinois?
Personal-finance site WalletHub did what they do best--crunch the numbers--and they've come up with a list of the Best and Worst States to Retire. Here's what they looked at to come up with their rankings:
If retirement is still a big question mark for you because of finances, consider relocating to a state that lets you keep more money in your pocket without requiring a drastic lifestyle change. To help you find that permanent, affordable place to call home, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 41 key indicators of retirement-friendliness. Our analysis examines affordability, health-related factors and overall quality of life.
Before we get to Illinois' numbers, here are WalletHub's choices for the top 5 best states to retire:
1) Florida
2) Colorado
3) South Dakota
4) Iowa
5) Virginia
Next, their selections for the 5 worst states to retire:
46) Arkansas
47) Mississippi
48) Rhode Island
49) New Jersey
50) Kentucky
As for our state of Illinois, we come in at #31 overall. Here's the breakdown:
Retiring in Illinois (1=Best; 25=Avg.)
23rd – Adjusted Cost of Living
25th – Annual Cost of In-Home Services
50th – WalletHub ‘Taxpayer’ Ranking
32nd – Elderly-Friendly Labor Market
40th – % of Population Aged 65 & Older
17th – Property-Crime Rate
26th – Life Expectancy
45th – Health-Care Facilities per Capita
Some other numbers from the Midwest:
- Wisconsin is #12
- Michigan is #29
- Indiana is #32
- Missouri is #18
So, after seeing Iowa's #4 ranking, who wants to go in with me on a condo in beautiful, downtown Ottumwa? No? How about Muscatine?
Here's another take on the best and worst spots to retire in the U.S.: