These Carolina Cities Ranked Among The Top Places in America To Retire

By
Charlotte Stories
-
2219

With only 3 in 10 workers reporting that they are “very confident” they will have enough money for retirement, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2021’s Best & Worst Places to Retire.

To help Americans plan for a comfortable retirement without breaking the bank, the site compared more than 180 U.S. cities across 48 key measures of affordability, quality of life, health care and availability of recreational activities. The data set ranges from the cost of living to retired taxpayer-friendliness to the state’s health infrastructure.

According to the report, Charleston ranked #2 in the nation, with Columbia, SC not far behind at #11. Raleigh came in at #26 and Charlotte was ranked in the top half at #79.

Best Retirement Cities

Overall Rank  City Total Score  Affordability  Activities  Quality of Life  Health Care 
1 Orlando, FL 62.14 13 9 70 68
2 Charleston, SC 61.97 30 15 68 31
3 Scottsdale, AZ 60.58 20 32 2 81
4 Tampa, FL 60.38 38 8 69 88
5 Minneapolis, MN 59.98 135 2 50 11
6 Denver, CO 59.45 77 7 49 101
7 Cincinnati, OH 58.70 103 3 85 76
8 Fort Lauderdale, FL 58.37 76 26 59 35
9 Miami, FL 58.05 72 12 105 55
10 Atlanta, GA 58.04 47 6 125 139
11 Columbia, SC 57.68 6 63 94 70
12 San Francisco, CA 57.10 159 4 40 26
13 Casper, WY 57.00 7 76 56 67
14 Tempe, AZ 56.67 20 103 27 98
15 St. Petersburg, FL 56.59 38 43 31 72
16 Pembroke Pines, FL 56.58 74 162 13 42
17 Wilmington, DE 56.50 69 22 170 15
18 Salt Lake City, UT 56.31 52 22 114 82
19 Honolulu, HI 55.95 166 5 3 78
20 San Diego, CA 55.54 138 10 12 79
21 Madison, WI 55.35 154 39 4 7
22 Boise, ID 55.28 70 58 23 50
23 Sioux Falls, SD 55.28 92 137 44 3
24 Cape Coral, FL 55.18 42 96 17 80
25 Dover, DE 55.01 18 83 181 43
26 Raleigh, NC 55.00 64 56 54 33
27 Missoula, MT 54.90 85 45 164 8
28 Bismarck, ND 54.87 93 148 21 14
29 St. Louis, MO 54.59 61 18 169 69
30 Tucson, AZ 54.56 44 37 62 131
31 New Orleans, LA 54.52 86 14 155 83
32 Washington, DC 54.31 162 1 60 75
33 Knoxville, TN 54.28 4 87 131 142
34 Port St. Lucie, FL 54.12 41 112 82 108
35 Pittsburgh, PA 54.04 136 27 45 18
36 West Valley City, UT 53.93 52 182 93 120
37 Las Cruces, NM 53.76 55 121 109 100
38 Las Vegas, NV 53.75 31 11 104 179
39 Birmingham, AL 53.60 9 38 173 109
40 Reno, NV 53.41 68 55 25 132
41 Jackson, MS 53.32 11 89 132 129
42 Los Angeles, CA 53.09 142 20 15 77
43 Fargo, ND 52.77 67 160 86 19
44 San Antonio, TX 52.77 88 28 117 110
45 Gilbert, AZ 52.46 20 144 35 96
46 Columbus, OH 52.37 98 60 55 46
47 Virginia Beach, VA 52.36 56 73 65 58
48 Charleston, WV 52.35 15 77 115 152
49 Nashville, TN 52.28 17 41 175 99
50 Grand Rapids, MI 52.23 107 66 47 65
51 Huntington, WV 52.19 8 158 124 160
52 Columbia, MD 52.15 145 107 20 5
53 Austin, TX 52.11 131 21 63 73
54 Colorado Springs, CO 52.05 43 65 43 136
55 Rapid City, SD 51.90 104 104 152 10
56 Nashua, NH 51.85 113 124 74 23
57 Tallahassee, FL 51.77 19 123 79 127
58 Portland, ME 51.57 170 25 29 20
59 Chandler, AZ 51.52 20 111 58 119
60 Glendale, CA 51.47 147 71 5 40
61 St. Paul, MN 51.45 137 33 83 21
62 Louisville, KY 51.31 96 49 75 93
63 Richmond, VA 51.27 62 31 145 158
63 Mobile, AL 51.27 3 138 147 155
65 Phoenix, AZ 51.09 20 85 67 140
66 Oklahoma City, OK 51.02 50 57 139 103
67 Jacksonville, FL 50.96 10 53 151 159
68 Mesa, AZ 50.88 20 102 78 134
69 Cedar Rapids, IA 50.86 134 146 24 12
70 Huntington Beach, CA 50.76 150 46 36 44
71 Durham, NC 50.71 54 133 107 13
72 Sacramento, CA 50.70 116 40 30 126
73 Hialeah, FL 50.63 72 140 33 86
74 Long Beach, CA 50.46 142 47 16 59
75 Baton Rouge, LA 50.45 37 29 153 174
76 Augusta, GA 50.45 14 176 95 162
77 Overland Park, KS 50.41 115 145 52 38
78 Peoria, AZ 50.16 20 173 84 147
79 Charlotte, NC 50.12 60 90 80 84
80 Seattle, WA 50.09 180 13 26 25
81 Chattanooga, TN 50.07 16 100 160 150
82 Portland, OR 50.06 169 17 92 37
83 Juneau, AK 49.96 125 50 168 4
84 Lincoln, NE 49.95 121 72 38 30
85 Cheyenne, WY 49.84 12 150 76 167
86 Irvine, CA 49.75 150 51 37 32
87 Akron, OH 49.60 102 84 101 60
88 Philadelphia, PA 49.56 157 30 42 74
89 Lexington-Fayette, KY 49.52 94 132 18 49
90 Nampa, ID 49.45 70 177 97 95
91 Moreno Valley, CA 49.18 100 178 103 105
92 Fort Smith, AR 49.13 1 156 157 156
93 Boston, MA 49.03 178 24 28 17
94 Billings, MT 49.01 51 117 162 71
95 Huntsville, AL 48.88 45 167 118 125
96 Laredo, TX 48.83 35 161 98 149
97 Garden Grove, CA 48.81 156 75 39 41
98 Cleveland, OH 48.81 99 34 161 121
99 Rochester, NY 48.66 144 36 112 53
100 Fort Worth, TX 48.65 106 60 48 143
101 Albuquerque, NM 48.64 97 42 148 118
102 Glendale, AZ 48.51 20 130 102 122
103 Santa Clarita, CA 48.41 147 99 9 94
104 Fort Wayne, IN 48.36 79 110 89 91
105 Tulsa, OK 48.33 46 95 144 85
106 Dallas, TX 48.29 130 35 116 106
107 Anaheim, CA 48.25 150 86 11 28
108 Kansas City, MO 48.17 84 62 158 89
109 Milwaukee, WI 48.17 122 48 149 51
110 Montgomery, AL 48.02 2 149 163 168
111 South Burlington, VT 47.97 172 116 126 1
112 New York, NY 47.89 182 16 10 48
113 Norfolk, VA 47.84 56 94 119 130
114 Lewiston, ME 47.83 128 153 41 45
115 Fremont, CA 47.76 159 125 1 27
116 Aurora, CO 47.75 77 118 111 61
117 Des Moines, IA 47.73 124 129 66 22
118 Fayetteville, NC 47.63 29 106 138 172
119 Buffalo, NY 47.49 129 59 91 63
120 Riverside, CA 47.46 108 126 61 64
121 Newport News, VA 47.34 56 155 108 145
122 Oakland, CA 47.11 159 44 120 29
123 El Paso, TX 47.10 65 122 64 148
124 Chesapeake, VA 47.08 56 165 51 146
125 Houston, TX 47.07 101 52 154 135
126 Manchester, NH 46.95 113 141 110 34
127 Amarillo, TX 46.92 81 134 123 154
128 Chicago, IL 46.81 174 19 129 66
129 Burlington, VT 46.79 172 69 136 2
130 Memphis, TN 46.78 5 80 179 173
131 Henderson, NV 46.66 31 131 7 181
132 Winston-Salem, NC 46.47 63 108 122 141
133 Oxnard, CA 46.39 126 135 53 144
134 New Haven, CT 46.36 165 88 143 6
135 Modesto, CA 46.27 82 181 87 157
136 Plano, TX 46.20 123 139 32 57
137 Omaha, NE 46.20 133 68 121 47
138 Shreveport, LA 46.14 36 164 133 163
139 Santa Ana, CA 46.14 150 70 71 56
140 Indianapolis, IN 46.12 90 67 180 87
141 Oceanside, CA 46.10 138 109 22 113
142 Grand Prairie, TX 45.96 117 170 34 133
143 Pearl City, HI 45.92 166 172 8 107
144 Brownsville, TX 45.52 28 180 77 178
145 Toledo, OH 45.36 80 136 130 111
146 Columbus, GA 45.30 34 152 142 175
147 Fresno, CA 45.09 75 147 140 124
148 Gulfport, MS 45.07 40 105 172 180
149 Santa Rosa, CA 44.91 168 120 14 115
150 San Jose, CA 44.90 158 101 6 112
151 Little Rock, AR 44.74 48 119 165 169
152 Providence, RI 44.62 163 74 106 61
153 Baltimore, MD 44.60 145 54 135 90
154 Ontario, CA 44.53 111 159 99 166
155 Worcester, MA 44.52 149 143 156 24
156 Greensboro, NC 44.49 49 127 174 128
157 Salem, OR 44.44 105 170 128 92
158 Springfield, MO 44.25 66 97 182 164
159 Lubbock, TX 43.85 89 114 167 138
160 Garland, TX 43.64 117 166 57 117
161 Yonkers, NY 43.64 181 92 46 9
162 Stockton, CA 43.38 95 157 150 137
163 Bakersfield, CA 43.35 83 151 137 161
164 Irving, TX 43.35 117 128 100 104
165 Aurora, IL 43.26 174 113 72 39
166 North Las Vegas, NV 43.19 31 168 90 182
167 Tacoma, WA 42.88 155 64 141 114
168 Chula Vista, CA 42.77 138 175 19 97
169 Corpus Christi, TX 42.51 91 82 146 176
170 Warwick, RI 42.13 163 163 96 52
171 Anchorage, AK 41.91 127 78 166 116
172 Fontana, CA 41.85 109 179 113 171
173 Arlington, TX 41.84 117 142 88 151
174 Jersey City, NJ 41.78 176 81 81 54
175 Detroit, MI 41.48 112 93 177 153
176 Vancouver, WA 41.26 177 98 127 36
177 Wichita, KS 40.56 110 91 178 165
178 Rancho Cucamonga, CA 40.54 132 169 73 170
179 Spokane, WA 40.23 141 115 159 123
180 Bridgeport, CT 39.34 179 154 134 16
181 Newark, NJ 38.53 171 79 171 102
182 San Bernardino, CA 37.55 87 174 176 177

Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that city, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

Have you been to Charleston? 

Do you think it’s the 2nd best place in America to retire? 

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