Minnesota 5th best state to retire in
Sunrise over US Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis. Photo by Greg Kellogg / Fox 9.
MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - Minnesota is the 5th best state for retirees in the United States, according to the latest rankling from Bankrate. New Hampshire and its “Live Free or Die” state motto claimed the No. 1 spot. Colorado ranked No. 2 and Maine No. 3.
Minnesota earned high marks for health care quality (No. 3), well-being (No. 4) and culture (No. 7), outweighing the low scores for weather (No. 47) and taxes (No. 43).
States that share a border with Minnesota also landed in the Top 10, including Iowa (No. 4), South Dakota (No. 8) and Wisconsin (No. 9). North Dakota came in at No. 16.
Alaska finished No. 50 on the list, due to its poor weather, high cost of living, high crime and low quality of health care.
State retirement rankings factors
Cost of living – 70 percent consider most/very important
Health care quality – 67 percent consider most/very important
Crime rate - 67 percent consider most/very important
Culture – 54 percent consider most/very important
Weather – 49 percent consider most/very important
Taxes – 47 percent consider most/very important
Retiree population – 10 percent consider most/very important
The rankings
1 New Hampshire
2 Colorado
3 Maine
4 Iowa
5 Minnesota
6 Virginia
7 Massachusetts
8 South Dakota
9 Wisconsin
10 Idaho
11 Utah
12 Arizona
13 Nebraska
14 Vermont
15 Pennsylvania
16 North Dakota
17 Florida
18 Delaware
19 Rhode Island
20 North Carolina
21 Wyoming
22 Michigan
23 Texas
24 Kansas
25 South Carolina
26 Oregon
27 Tennessee
28 Missouri
29 Montana
30 Alabama
31 Washington
32 Connecticut
33 Ohio
34 Illinois
35 Georgia
36 Hawaii
37 New York
38 New Jersey
39 Indiana
40 Maryland
41 Mississippi
42 California
43 Oklahoma
44 Nevada
45 Kentucky
46 Louisiana
47 New Mexico
48 Arkansas
49 West Virginia
50 Alaska