Sarasota Named ‘Best Place To Retire in the U.S.’

SARASOTA, FL — The city of Sarasota ranked No. 1 on the U.S. News and World Report’s 2020-2021 list of “Best Places to Retire in the U.S.”

To compile the list, U.S. News staff analyzed data for the 150 largest metropolitan areas in the country “to assess how well they meet Americans’ retirement needs and expectations,” according to the media company’s website. They evaluated various criteria, including happiness of local residents, housing affordability, tax rates and health care quality.

As the top city for retirement, Sarasota received an overall score of 7.6 out of 10 in U.S. News’ rankings. It also received an 8 for desirability, 5.7 for value, 6.4 for its job market, 7.2 for quality of life, 6.2 for housing affordability, 6.4 for health care and 9.8 for net migration.

“Warm temperatures year-round, award-winning beaches and a thriving arts and cultural scene have made Sarasota a go-to place for retirees and families, not to mention a handful of celebrities,” according to the U.S. News listing for Sarasota. “This southwest Florida region, which is about an hour from Tampa and two hours from Orlando, continues to attract new residents with great restaurants and plenty of shopping options.”

Seven Florida cities found themselves in the top 10 “Best Places to Retire in the U.S.” list:

1. Sarasota, Florida
2. Fort Myers, Florida
3. Port St. Lucie, Florida
4. Naples, Florida
5. Lancaster, Pennsylvania
6. Ocala, Florida
7. Ann Arbor, Michigan
8. Asheville, North Carolina
9. Miami, Florida
10. Melbourne, Florida

Sarasota also ranked No. 2 in U.S. News’ “Best Places to Live in Florida” list and No. 16 in its “Best Places to Live” list, trailing behind the nearby city of Naples in both rankings.

In November, Sarasota also topped a list of the best 25 Florida cities for retirees that was released by the website Florida for Boomers.