Best Counties for Retirement

Counties scoring highest on health, disaster risk, weather, and property taxes — ideal for retirees.

Rankings weighted toward health and low disaster risk. Full composite retirement score coming soon.

Showing top 100 of 3144 counties with data

#	County	Score	Tax	Cost	Income
1	Pitkin County, Colorado	94.5	91.2	40.9	48.9
2	Loving County, Texas	92.6	N/A	N/A	16.7
3	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut	92.4	52.7	55	49.4
4	Los Alamos County, New Mexico	90.7	86.2	59.6	76.8
5	Oliver County, North Dakota	89.8	84.6	83.6	33.6
6	Loup County, Nebraska	89.6	79.8	85.7	22.7
7	Logan County, Nebraska	88.9	74.1	81	30.2
8	Northwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut	88.3	51.7	62.1	42.8
9	Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut	88.2	60.8	28.3	64.7
10	Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut	88.1	58.9	62.9	40.5
11	Banner County, Nebraska	88.1	59.7	78.7	29.9
12	Sully County, South Dakota	88	78.2	80.2	29.2
13	Douglas County, Colorado	87.7	86.8	31.2	78.5
14	Wheeler County, Nebraska	87.7	76.6	90.5	19.9
15	Marin County, California	87.4	82	5.9	76.6
16	Carver County, Minnesota	87.3	73.4	51.6	63.8
17	Summit County, Colorado	87.2	93.5	45.7	52.7
18	Nantucket County, Massachusetts	87.2	96.2	21.4	61.5
19	Washington County, Minnesota	87.2	74.1	51.4	58.1
20	Middlesex County, Massachusetts	87.1	72.6	31.3	66.1
21	Broomfield County, Colorado	86.9	85	39.1	62.4
22	Grant County, Nebraska	86.9	81.2	81.7	28.5
23	Howard County, Maryland	86.6	69	33.3	79.3
24	Dallas County, Iowa	86.4	61.4	60.3	50.2
25	Ouray County, Colorado	86.3	94.5	68.3	38.6
26	Jones County, South Dakota	86.3	69.7	85.9	25.6
27	Lincoln County, South Dakota	86.3	69	62.1	46.4
28	Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut	86.2	42	56.5	43.1
29	Norfolk County, Massachusetts	86.1	71.6	31.6	65.9
30	Slope County, North Dakota	86.1	91.6	87.8	24.2
31	South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut	86	45.1	52.7	39.7
32	Arthur County, Nebraska	85.9	78.8	80.7	27.4
33	Alpine County, California	85.8	83	55.6	55.7
34	Petroleum County, Montana	85.7	81.9	85.5	22.1
35	Loudoun County, Virginia	85.7	77.4	21.3	100
36	Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut	85.6	53	59.4	38.3
37	Hunterdon County, New Jersey	85.6	45.9	40.7	74.4
38	Saratoga County, New York	85.6	60.3	60.3	48.4
39	Billings County, North Dakota	85.6	91.9	84.5	36.4
40	Arlington County, Virginia	85.6	77	22.2	74.9
41	Dukes County, Massachusetts	85.5	88.3	47.1	50.2
42	Newport County, Rhode Island	85.5	75.4	49.1	49.2
43	San Mateo County, California	85.4	85	4.6	85.2
44	San Miguel County, Colorado	85.4	94.9	63.7	35.7
45	Addison County, Vermont	85.4	54.7	63.9	41.1
46	Winneshiek County, Iowa	85.2	69.5	77.8	32.8
47	Mono County, California	85.1	80.7	46.5	40.1
48	Mineral County, Colorado	85	92.3	77.3	17.6
49	San Francisco County, California	84.9	83.1	14.8	75.7
50	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut	84.8	45	58.5	39.8
51	Franklin County, Massachusetts	84.8	59.7	66.6	30.8
52	Dodge County, Minnesota	84.8	71.8	68.8	44
53	Rock County, Nebraska	84.7	73.7	88.1	20.9
54	Morris County, New Jersey	84.7	51.8	34.9	71.4
55	Washington County, Rhode Island	84.7	72.6	56.6	50.3
56	Hamilton County, Indiana	84.6	77.5	55.5	60.4
57	Nassau County, New York	84.6	59.6	22.1	77
58	Delaware County, Ohio	84.6	56	51.8	68.3
59	Ozaukee County, Wisconsin	84.6	67	64.3	46.5
60	Gunnison County, Colorado	84.5	94.3	64.3	33.9
61	Thomas County, Nebraska	84.5	71.7	87.8	30.8
62	Clear Creek County, Colorado	84.4	91.7	58.7	46.5
63	Fairfax County, Virginia	84.4	73.8	26.9	81.3
64	Falls Church city, Virginia	84.4	74.3	13.5	84.4
65	Santa Clara County, California	84.3	82.4	6.8	87.6
66	Boulder County, Colorado	84.3	87.2	43.4	50.5
67	Barnstable County, Massachusetts	84.3	82.3	52.9	45
68	Olmsted County, Minnesota	84.3	71.7	64	44.4
69	Dakota County, Minnesota	84.2	74.2	55.1	52.1
70	McPherson County, Nebraska	84.2	72.4	86.5	23.4
71	Putnam County, New York	84.2	39.5	38.1	66.5
72	Somerset County, New Jersey	84.1	48.6	35.4	72.1
73	Harding County, South Dakota	84.1	76	89.9	32.2
74	Hyde County, South Dakota	84.1	67.8	79.2	31.9
75	Johnson County, Kansas	84	69.8	55.9	53.4
76	Hampshire County, Massachusetts	84	61	59.1	39.8
77	Waukesha County, Wisconsin	83.9	68.2	59.8	51.3
78	Williamson County, Tennessee	83.8	90.2	42.6	69
79	Bristol County, Rhode Island	83.7	63.3	52.1	55.8
80	Goochland County, Virginia	83.6	88.2	56.8	60.8
81	Calumet County, Wisconsin	83.6	59.5	71.2	40.6
82	Placer County, California	83.5	78.4	36.2	58.2
83	Westchester County, New York	83.4	58.2	29.9	60.7
84	Chittenden County, Vermont	83.4	56.9	51.2	44.9
85	Cook County, Minnesota	83.3	80.1	76.4	30.2
86	King County, Washington	83.3	78.7	32.5	63.1
87	Monroe County, Illinois	83.2	54.4	69.3	49.7
88	Clinton County, Michigan	83.2	67.1	71.3	39.5
89	Livingston County, Michigan	83.2	74.5	63	49.5
90	Wabasha County, Minnesota	83.2	71.7	76.4	35.7
91	St. Croix County, Wisconsin	83.2	67.7	61.1	50.3
92	Eagle County, Colorado	83.1	90.7	39.1	50.7
93	Johnson County, Iowa	83.1	58.3	65.8	32.2
94	Story County, Iowa	83.1	60.9	71	28.4
95	Montgomery County, Maryland	83.1	77.9	35.4	67.4
96	Blaine County, Nebraska	83.1	68.9	84.7	23.4
97	Rockingham County, New Hampshire	83.1	56.5	46.5	57.7
98	Summit County, Utah	83	92.5	40.4	72.8
99	San Juan County, Washington	83	86.3	59.7	38
100	Wright County, Minnesota	82.9	74.2	60.1	53

Data: U.S. Census ACS, FBI UCR, CDC, FEMA NRI, NCES, EPA SDWIS. Scores are 0-100 (higher is better).