Providence, Boston and New York City all rank among the 10 Worst Cities to Retire according to a recent study by WalletHub.
Boston comes in at 8th worst, NYC at 5th worst and Providence ranks as the 3rd worst city to retire in the entire United States.
Methodology
To help Americans find the best cities for their golden years, WalletHub compared the retirement-friendliness of the 150 most populated U.S. cities across four key dimensions: 1) Affordability, 2) Activities, 3) Quality of Life and 4) Health Care. They then compiled 24 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available only at the state level.
With cost being a significant factor in retirement, our analysis assumes retirees will rely on a fixed income. The lower their expenses, the better retirees will fare in a particular city. With regard to the sample, please note that “city” refers to city proper and excludes surrounding metro areas.
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
Sources: Data used to create these rankings were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Council for Community and Economic Research, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Lung Association – State of the Air, the Environmental Working Group, the Trust For Public Land, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Charity Navigator, Healthways.com, Yelp.com, Golf.com and WalletHub Research.
