It’s never too early to think about where you’d like to retire. And it should come as no surprise that several valley cities are among the top places for settling down.
While Tampa, Florida gets top honors when it comes to the best places to retire, Scottsdale gets the #2 honor, according to financial website WalletHub.com. However, Scottsdale is #1 in the country when it comes to the percentage of residents 65 and older among cities with populations of 100,000 or more. Peoria comes in at #10 on the overall list of retirement-friendly cities. Mesa also gets mentioned at #11 due to the number of public golf courses per 100,000 people. Tucson gets the #29 distinction. Coming in at #33 is Tempe, followed by #45 Gilbert, #49 Chandler, and Phoenix ranking #63.
The study looked at weather, affordability, activities, health care, and quality of life among the 150 cities examined.
Since cost is a significant factor in retirement, WalletHub.com’s analysis assumes retirees will be on a fixed income. Below is what the website looked at during their research.
Affordability – Weight: 5
• Adjusted Cost of Living: Full Weight
• WalletHub ‘Taxpayer’ Ranking: Half* Weight
• Annual Cost of In-Home Services: Half Weight
Activities – Weight: 5
• Number of Recreation & Senior Centers per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight
• Number of Fishing Facilities per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight
• Number of Hiking Facilities per 100,000 Residents: Half Weight
• Number of Public Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight
• Availability of Adult Volunteer Activities: Full Weight
• WalletHub ‘Recreation’ Ranking: Full Weight
Quality of Life – Weight: 5
• Percentage of the Population Aged 65 & Older: Full Weight
• Elderly-Friendly Labor Market: Full Weight
• WalletHub ‘Mild Weather’ Ranking: Double Weight
• Violent Crime Rate: Full Weight
• Property Crime Rate: Full Weight
• Air Quality: Half Weight
• Water Quality: Half Weight
Health Care – Weight: 5
• Number of Family and General Physicians per 10,000 Residents: Full Weight
• Number of Dentists per 10,000 Residents: Half Weight
• Number of Nurses per 1,000 Residents: Full Weight
• Number of Health Care Facilities per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight
• Public Hospitals Ranking: Full* Weight
• Emotional Health: Full Weight
• Number of Home-Care Facilities per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight
• Death Rate for People Aged 65 & Older: Full* Weight