All 50 states scored for retirement based on taxes, healthcare, cost of living, and climate. Find your ideal retirement state.
| # | State | Retirement Score ▼ | Visual | Income | COL | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Tennessee | 80/100 | $59,700 | 91 | A+ | |
| #2 | Texas | 76/100 | $67,300 | 93 | A+ | |
| #3 | Arkansas | 75/100 | $52,100 | 84 | A+ | |
| #4 | Mississippi | 74/100 | $46,500 | 83 | A+ | |
| #5 | Kentucky | 73/100 | $55,600 | 87 | A+ | |
| #6 | West Virginia | 72/100 | $48,000 | 84 | A+ | |
| #7 | Oklahoma | 70/100 | $55,800 | 86 | A+ | |
| #8 | Alabama | 69/100 | $56,200 | 87 | A | |
| #9 | Ohio | 69/100 | $59,300 | 89 | A | |
| #10 | Indiana | 68/100 | $58,600 | 90 | A | |
| #11 | South Dakota | 68/100 | $62,100 | 91 | A | |
| #12 | Louisiana | 67/100 | $52,300 | 91 | A | |
| #13 | Michigan | 67/100 | $63,400 | 89 | A | |
| #14 | Missouri | 67/100 | $61,000 | 88 | A | |
| #15 | Pennsylvania | 64/100 | $67,600 | 94 | A | |
| #16 | Florida | 63/100 | $63,100 | 103 | A | |
| #17 | Nevada | 63/100 | $64,200 | 104 | A | |
| #18 | New Mexico | 63/100 | $53,000 | 91 | A | |
| #19 | Georgia | 62/100 | $63,400 | 93 | A | |
| #20 | Illinois | 60/100 | $72,200 | 93 | A | |
| #21 | Kansas | 60/100 | $62,100 | 89 | A | |
| #22 | Arizona | 59/100 | $65,600 | 103 | A | |
| #23 | Nebraska | 59/100 | $66,500 | 91 | A | |
| #24 | South Carolina | 58/100 | $56,200 | 92 | B+ | |
| #25 | Wyoming | 58/100 | $65,000 | 95 | B+ | |
| #26 | Iowa | 57/100 | $63,200 | 90 | B+ | |
| #27 | North Carolina | 57/100 | $61,000 | 95 | B+ | |
| #28 | North Dakota | 57/100 | $64,800 | 93 | B+ | |
| #29 | Utah | 56/100 | $75,600 | 103 | B+ | |
| #30 | Idaho | 53/100 | $62,300 | 97 | B+ | |
| #31 | Wisconsin | 52/100 | $64,800 | 93 | B+ | |
| #32 | Virginia | 50/100 | $80,600 | 103 | B+ | |
| #33 | Washington | 46/100 | $82,100 | 115 | B | |
| #34 | New Hampshire | 43/100 | $83,300 | 112 | B | |
| #35 | Colorado | 42/100 | $80,200 | 105 | B | |
| #36 | Montana | 41/100 | $60,600 | 103 | B | |
| #37 | Delaware | 38/100 | $69,100 | 102 | B | |
| #38 | Minnesota | 38/100 | $77,700 | 97 | B | |
| #39 | Alaska | 32/100 | $77,800 | 127 | C | |
| #40 | Maryland | 32/100 | $90,200 | 118 | C | |
| #41 | Rhode Island | 28/100 | $71,200 | 109 | C | |
| #42 | Maine | 25/100 | $63,200 | 109 | D | |
| #43 | Oregon | 23/100 | $71,200 | 113 | D | |
| #44 | Vermont | 21/100 | $63,400 | 110 | D | |
| #45 | Massachusetts | 18/100 | $89,700 | 135 | D | |
| #46 | Connecticut | 17/100 | $83,800 | 121 | D | |
| #47 | New Jersey | 16/100 | $87,700 | 121 | D | |
| #48 | California | 13/100 | $84,900 | 142 | F | |
| #49 | New York | 12/100 | $75,900 | 139 | F | |
| #50 | Hawaii | 8/100 | $84,900 | 190 | F |
Based on our analysis of retirement planning across all 50 states, Tennessee ranks #1 with 80/100, while Hawaii ranks last at 8/100. The national average is 51/100.
States with no income tax (Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming) generally perform well on affordability metrics due to higher effective take-home pay.
The gap between the best and worst state is significant: 72/100. This means your choice of state can make a dramatic difference in your retirement planning. Use our retirement calculator to run the numbers for your specific situation.
Tennessee ranks #1 with 80/100. Texas and Arkansas round out the top 3.
Hawaii ranks last (#50) with 8/100. New York and California are also among the worst.
The average across all 50 states is 51/100. The median is 57/100.
This data is calculated using the latest available median income, housing prices, cost of living indices, tax rates, and expense data for each state. Our methodology uses consistent formulas applied to all 50 states for fair comparison.