Most people are focused on when they will retire. A better question may be where.
With more and more retirees responsible for their own financial security, almost half of Americans said they were "very concerned" or "terrified" that the rising cost of living will affect their retirement plans, according to a survey by insurance provider Allianz Life.
To stretch your savings, choosing the right destination once you've stopped working can make or break those lazy-day fantasies.
"When it comes to overall affordability, taxes and inexpensive healthcare are things that could really help stretch that fixed income even further," said Jill Gonzalez, an analyst with WalletHub, a personal finance site.
To that end, WalletHub compared the retirement-friendliness of all 50 states and the District of Columbia using criteria such as cost of living, crime rate, tax-friendliness on pensions and Social Security income, number of health care facilities, access to public transportation as well as the number of golf courses and museums – this is retirement after all.
Some of the top spots were no surprise – hello, Florida. Others, like South Dakota and Iowa, were less expected.
Here are the states that ranked the best for those golden years, according to WalletHub. (And if you are thinking even more outside the box, here are the world's top 10 retirement destinations.)
| Overall Rank | State | Total Score | Affordability Rank | Quality of Life Rank | Health Care Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | 69.22 | 1 | 11 | 24 |
| 2 | Wyoming | 67.81 | 4 | 25 | 19 |
| 3 | South Dakota | 67.06 | 15 | 33 | 2 |
| 4 | Iowa | 66.26 | 26 | 6 | 5 |
| 5 | Colorado | 64.85 | 27 | 17 | 7 |
| 6 | Idaho | 64.12 | 14 | 31 | 16 |
| 7 | South Carolina | 64 | 7 | 37 | 33 |
| 8 | Nevada | 63.64 | 6 | 9 | 42 |
| 9 | Delaware | 63.59 | 10 | 40 | 25 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | 63.34 | 33 | 5 | 4 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | 63.23 | 20 | 4 | 32 |
| 12 | Montana | 63.08 | 23 | 24 | 13 |
| 13 | Arizona | 63.04 | 21 | 16 | 21 |
| 14 | Missouri | 61.73 | 22 | 18 | 28 |
| 15 | Michigan | 61.69 | 28 | 12 | 26 |
| 16 | Washington | 61.31 | 31 | 20 | 17 |
| 17 | Utah | 61.25 | 25 | 35 | 18 |
| 18 | Texas | 61.11 | 3 | 36 | 44 |
| 19 | Virginia | 61.08 | 19 | 23 | 31 |
| 20 | Georgia | 60.55 | 11 | 32 | 41 |
| 21 | Minnesota | 60.49 | 45 | 2 | 1 |
| 22 | Maine | 60.41 | 37 | 7 | 14 |
| 23 | North Carolina | 60.27 | 18 | 26 | 37 |
| 24 | New Hampshire | 60.24 | 35 | 19 | 11 |
| 25 | Ohio | 59.59 | 24 | 22 | 36 |
| 26 | Oregon | 59.47 | 30 | 30 | 22 |
| 27 | Kansas | 58.83 | 34 | 14 | 23 |
| 28 | Oklahoma | 58.47 | 12 | 39 | 43 |
| 29 | Tennessee | 58.26 | 5 | 38 | 47 |
| 30 | Nebraska | 57.78 | 40 | 28 | 8 |
| 31 | Illinois | 57.15 | 32 | 15 | 38 |
| 32 | California | 56.9 | 42 | 8 | 20 |
| 33 | Louisiana | 56.74 | 9 | 43 | 46 |
| 34 | Indiana | 56.67 | 29 | 29 | 40 |
| 35 | Massachusetts | 56.58 | 47 | 3 | 10 |
| 36 | Alabama | 56.46 | 2 | 47 | 50 |
| 37 | Maryland | 55.73 | 39 | 21 | 27 |
| 38 | North Dakota | 55.09 | 43 | 42 | 6 |
| 39 | West Virginia | 54.48 | 13 | 44 | 48 |
| 40 | Mississippi | 54.48 | 8 | 49 | 51 |
| 41 | New York | 53.54 | 46 | 1 | 30 |
| 42 | Arkansas | 53.45 | 17 | 48 | 45 |
| 43 | Kentucky | 53.27 | 16 | 45 | 49 |
| 44 | Vermont | 52.79 | 48 | 10 | 12 |
| 45 | New Mexico | 52.61 | 36 | 41 | 39 |
| 46 | New Jersey | 52.55 | 41 | 27 | 35 |
| 47 | Hawaii | 51.85 | 50 | 34 | 3 |
| 48 | Connecticut | 51.34 | 49 | 13 | 15 |
| 49 | District of Columbia | 50.96 | 44 | 51 | 9 |
| 50 | Alaska | 50.82 | 38 | 50 | 34 |
| 51 | Rhode Island | 43.84 | 51 | 46 | 29 |