Best Counties for Retirement in America 2026
We rank counties with the Retiree lens of the County Fit Score, then show the baseline CountyScore beside each result.
How We Score Retirement Counties
The Retiree lens uses independent 0-100 importance values: Health 25, Safety 20, Property Tax 18, Cost of Living 16, Disaster Risk 10, Water Quality 6, and Weather 5. CountyScore normalizes active factors internally and keeps the baseline CountyScore visible for context.
Open this lens in the builderTop 10 Retirement Counties in America
Best Retirement County in Every State
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a county good for retirement?
The Retiree lens combines health, safety, property tax burden, cost of living, disaster risk, water quality, and weather. Those importance values are normalized internally into a County Fit Score.
Which states have the best counties for retirees?
States with top-ranked retirement counties tend to have strong healthcare systems, low crime, and moderate property taxes. Browse our state-by-state rankings to find the best options near you.
How is the retirement score calculated?
Each county receives a 0-100 County Fit Score from the Retiree lens. The current lens uses independent importance values: Health 25, Safety 20, Property Tax 18, Cost of Living 16, Disaster Risk 10, Water Quality 6, and Weather 5.
Are these rankings based on recent data?
Yes. Our scores use the latest available data from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS, FBI UCR crime reports, CDC health data, and other federal sources.
Data: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, FBI UCR, CDC, FEMA NRI, NCES, EPA SDWIS, 2019-2023 ACS — Informational only. Not financial or legal advice.