Beyond Beaches and Golf Courses: Surprising New Study Reveals Healthiest (and More Affordable) U.S. Cities for Retirement

News release from Bankers Life Center for a Secure Retirement

CHICAGO, Aug. 10, 2015 -- Seattle is the best city in the United States for healthy retirement living, with Minneapolis-St. Paul, Denver, Portland(Oregon) and Hartford rounding out the top five, according to a new study commissioned by the Bankers Life Center for a Secure Retirement® (CSR).

The study, America's Best Cities for a Healthy (and More Affordable) Retirement, ranked the 60 largest U.S. metropolitan areas on all factors of health and affordability for middle-income retirees, including data in eight categories that are key to the overall health of an area and its residents: healthcare, the economy and affordability, social, wellness, activities, environment, transportation and crime. Each category was statistically weighted to reflect the needs of the retired population.

Cities that topped the list had above-average scores for wellness and access to healthcare and some of the highest scores for overall life satisfaction, and social and emotional support. They also boasted natural beauty and a wealth of outdoor and cultural activities.

"The purpose of this study wasn't to compile a list of where to enjoy beaches, golf courses or other amenities that stereotypically describe retirement. In fact, only one warm, coastal city ranked in the top 20," said Scott Goldberg, president of Bankers Life. "This study identifies and recognizes cities that provide the services and support that people need to live healthy, happy lives.

"We want to show that many healthy places to retire can come with a reasonable cost-of-living price tag that is realistic and attainable for a great number of retirees."

The Categories

• The Healthcare category examines the number of physicians and hospitals per capita, hospital ratings based on patient reviews and the affordability of home healthcare.

• Economy and Affordability includes sales tax, the local unemployment rate, and any taxes on Social Security or pension income.

• Social considers the size of the current senior population and includes their satisfaction with life, their social and emotional well-being; and the number of four-year colleges, libraries and civic and volunteer opportunities in the area.

• Wellness includes life expectancy; smoking, obesity and depression rates; and mortality from cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's disease.

• Activities include opportunities for physical activities such as golf and tennis, 5Ks and marathons, gym memberships, and hiking and walking trails. The availability of cultural activities such as farmers markets and community gardens, museums, symphonies and operas, theater and dance, and zoos and aquariums were also considered.

• Environment includes the number of sunny days, summer heat index, clean air levels and water measurements, the presence and accessibility of bodies of water, and the number of local and state parks.

• Transportation includes public transportation accessibility and the percentage of commuters using mass transit.

• Crime includes violent crime rate and property crime rate.

Methodology

The research ranked the 60 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. on a universal set of criteria that are directly or indirectly indicative of health and quality of living, from health and wellness to culture and the environment.

Cities that ranked in the top 15 percent most expensive for cost-of-living index, median housing price and median rental price were removed from consideration for the final overall list.

*Includes surrounding metropolitan areas, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, including a central city and the surrounding county or counties.

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