PA Dominates U.S. News Best Places To Retire Rankings

PENNSYLVANIA —Seven Keystone State metro areas are listed among the 10 Best Places to Retire in the U.S., and the state capitol topped a new ranking released recently by U.S. News & World Report.

This year’s list is based on the evaluation of the nation’s 150 most populated metropolitan areas based on how well they meet Americans’ expectations for retirement. Measures used in the evaluation were affordability, health care, desirability, retiree taxes, the job market and overall happiness.

Pennsylvania dominated the top five in this year’s list and had seven metro areas in the top 10 — compared to five in last year's list. Cities in the top tier are:

1. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
2. Reading, Pennsylvania
3. Lancaster, Pennsylvania
4. Allentown, Pennsylvania
5. Scranton, Pennsylvania
6. New York City
7. York, Pennsylvania
8. Daytona Beach, Florida
9. Youngstown, Ohio
10. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Harrisburg finished 1st with an overall score of 7.1, an affordability score of 6.8 and a health care ranking of 7.9. The U.S. News profile highlights Harrisburg's easy access to the great outdoors, and availability of weekend getaways to Amish country, Hersheypark, Philadelphia, and New York City.

"Bikers and runners take in the scenery of the Susquehanna River on the trails of Riverfront Park, which also hosts many of the metro area's annual festivals and events. Residents also enjoy hiking the famous Appalachian Trail or camping and mountain biking in the many nearby state parks and forests," U.S. News wrote.

Lancaster came in first last year, with Harrisburg coming in second.

Record-high interest rates in the housing market, inflation and extreme weather patterns all figured into retirees’ choices on where to live, Beverly Harzog, personal finance expert at U.S. News, said in a news release.

“As retirees consider where to spend their golden years, they want areas that not only give them the best bang for their buck, but places where they can live a happy, healthy life,” Harzog said. “This is why Pennsylvania dominated the Best Places to Retire ranking’s top positions. …”

Florida also ranked high as a desirable place to retire, with six metro areas in the top 25. Also notable:

• Adjustments made for affordability and retiree taxes allowed Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to move up 19 spots to No. 17;
• Trenton, New Jersey, moved up 25 positions to No. 29; and
• Rochester, New York, moved up 29 positions to No. 21.

Affordability is the most heavily weighted of the six factors used to rank the 2024 Best Places to Retire. Data points were expended to better encapsulate a place’s strengths and weaknesses. The results are also based on a survey to determine if people want to retire to a given metro area.