Idaho Makes 2021’s Best States To Retire Top 10 List
Yesterday I wrote an article about how much the housing market has grown in Idaho. One interesting find in the article was that most people that are moving to Idaho are making their new home in Boise. When I think of why people are moving here, I think about quality of life. The biggest selling point in my mind is all the outdoor activities that are available here. Everything from hunting, fishing, skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, hiking and the list goes on and on. The one thing I didn't take into consideration is how many people are retiring in Idaho. I've got news for you, after this WalletHub study that ranks Idaho in the top 10 places to retire gets out, I have a feeling the number of people moving to Idaho is going to increase. Check out the list and WalletHubs methodology below.
Methodology
In order to identify the most retirement-friendly states, WalletHub compared the 50 states across three key dimensions: 1) Affordability, 2) Quality of Life and 3) Health Care.
2021's Best States to Retire
Overall Rank | State | Total Score | Affordability | Quality of Life | Health Care |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Florida | 61.09 | 4 | 6 | 28 |
2 | Colorado | 60.94 | 13 | 16 | 5 |
3 | Delaware | 58.69 | 5 | 29 | 22 |
4 | Virginia | 58.61 | 11 | 7 | 23 |
5 | North Dakota | 57.49 | 24 | 18 | 6 |
6 | Montana | 57.35 | 12 | 22 | 15 |
7 | Idaho | 57.28 | 16 | 11 | 25 |
8 | Utah | 57.11 | 21 | 4 | 26 |
9 | Minnesota | 56.33 | 37 | 3 | 2 |
10 | New Hampshire | 56.29 | 30 | 1 | 9 |
11 | Wyoming | 56.19 | 14 | 13 | 29 |
12 | Missouri | 54.64 | 20 | 36 | 12 |
13 | South Dakota | 54.04 | 22 | 26 | 18 |
14 | South Carolina | 53.18 | 3 | 37 | 41 |
15 | North Carolina | 53.14 | 19 | 24 | 34 |
16 | Iowa | 52.68 | 34 | 8 | 8 |
17 | Arizona | 52.49 | 15 | 28 | 35 |
18 | Hawaii | 52.40 | 38 | 30 | 1 |
19 | Wisconsin | 52.24 | 32 | 15 | 16 |
20 | Vermont | 51.39 | 48 | 5 | 3 |
21 | Michigan | 51.33 | 31 | 21 | 17 |
22 | Ohio | 51.10 | 25 | 23 | 31 |
23 | Nebraska | 50.55 | 36 | 19 | 10 |
24 | Nevada | 50.44 | 7 | 39 | 40 |
25 | Alaska | 49.79 | 39 | 33 | 4 |
26 | Georgia | 49.33 | 9 | 42 | 42 |
27 | Alabama | 49.20 | 1 | 45 | 48 |
28 | California | 48.98 | 29 | 31 | 30 |
29 | Massachusetts | 48.86 | 44 | 2 | 19 |
30 | Indiana | 48.85 | 26 | 34 | 37 |
31 | Washington | 48.75 | 43 | 10 | 7 |
32 | Pennsylvania | 48.64 | 35 | 12 | 32 |
33 | Maryland | 48.37 | 41 | 9 | 14 |
34 | Louisiana | 48.27 | 8 | 46 | 43 |
35 | Tennessee | 48.16 | 2 | 49 | 47 |
36 | Kansas | 47.84 | 27 | 32 | 39 |
37 | Maine | 47.71 | 46 | 14 | 11 |
38 | Arkansas | 47.54 | 6 | 48 | 45 |
39 | Oregon | 47.02 | 42 | 20 | 13 |
40 | Oklahoma | 46.47 | 17 | 44 | 44 |
41 | Illinois | 45.88 | 40 | 27 | 21 |
42 | Texas | 45.85 | 28 | 40 | 38 |
43 | Connecticut | 44.35 | 47 | 25 | 20 |
44 | West Virginia | 44.12 | 18 | 41 | 50 |
45 | Kentucky | 43.78 | 23 | 43 | 46 |
46 | Rhode Island | 42.85 | 45 | 38 | 24 |
47 | New Mexico | 42.68 | 33 | 47 | 36 |
48 | Mississippi | 41.88 | 10 | 50 | 49 |
49 | New York | 41.86 | 49 | 17 | 27 |
50 | New Jersey | 37.41 | 50 | 35 | 33 |
Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.