Here are the 10 best cities for retirement in America



Looking to settle down, empty nesters? Choosing a place to retire sounds easy — everyone has a dream city where they've always wanted to live. Sometimes, though, it isn't as simple as packing up and moving to that beachfront property you've always dreamt of.

And maybe it shouldn't be.

After all, retirement will (hopefully) represent a big chunk of your lifetime. It's important to live somewhere that satisfies all your care, community and transportation needs while still having enough culture and entertainment options to keep you happy.

FindTheHome has you covered in your search for "happily ever after." The site's data experts created a Retirement Index for every county across the U.S. based on five factors scaled from 1-100.


     


       


         


           


             



            This list contains the community in every state with the best Retirement Index. The states are ordered from the lowest score to the highest score. Unsurprisingly, the top community is in Florida. But there are several surprising entries in the top five, including one Orange County that's not in California.

            #10. Albemarle County, VA


             



            Population: 100,636

            Most Populous City: Hollymead

            Retirement Index: 97.72

            Care Score: 87.5
            Housing Score: 83.9
            Convenience Score: 87.7
            Entertainment Score: 61.6
            Community Score: 85.5

            #9. Hamilton County, IN


             



            Population: 282,977

            Most Populous City: Carmel

            Retirement Index: 97.72

            Care Score: 88.8
            Housing Score: 83.3
            Convenience Score: 87.0
            Entertainment Score: 62.0
            Community Score: 85.1

            #8. Jefferson County, WA


             



            Population: 29,882

            Most Populous City: Port Townsend

            Retirement Index: 97.89

            Care Score: 85.1
            Housing Score: 86.8
            Convenience Score: 90.0
            Entertainment Score: 61.0
            Community Score: 84.9

            #7. Newport County, RI


             



            Population: 82,545

            Most Populous City: Newport East

            Retirement Index: 98.21

            Care Score: 94.7
            Housing Score: 84.6
            Convenience Score: 87.3
            Entertainment Score: 60.8
            Community Score: 84.5

            #6. Washtenaw County, MI


             



            Population: 348,560

            Most Populous City: Ann Arbor

            Retirement Index: 98.30

            Care Score: 92.9
            Housing Score: 85.6
            Convenience Score: 88.8
            Entertainment Score: 61.5
            Community Score: 84.6

            #5. Grafton County, NH


             



            Population: 89,166

            Most Populous City: Lebanon

            Retirement Index: 98.39

            Care Score: 81.7
            Housing Score: 86.6
            Convenience Score: 89.8
            Entertainment Score: 80.0
            Community Score: 83.3

            #4. Beaufort County, SC


             



            Population: 165,354

            Most Populous City: Hilton Head Island

            Retirement Index: 98.40

            Care Score: 85.3
            Housing Score: 81.8
            Convenience Score: 85.6
            Entertainment Score: 80.0
            Community Score: 84.2

            #3. Orange County, NC


             



            Population: 136,057

            Most Populous City: Chapel Hill

            Retirement Index: 98.61

            Care Score: 95.0
            Housing Score: 83.8
            Convenience Score: 87.5
            Entertainment Score: 64.0
            Community Score: 85.3

            #2. Barnstable County, MA


             



            Population: 215,449

            Most Populous City: Barnstable

            Retirement Index: 99.06

            Care Score: 90.7
            Housing Score: 85.7
            Convenience Score: 88.9
            Entertainment Score: 69.8
            Community Score: 84.9

            #1. Martin County, FL


             



            Population: 147,786

            Most Populous City: Palm City

            Retirement Index: 100.00

            Care Score: 92.5
            Housing Score: 93.8
            Convenience Score: 95.1
            Entertainment Score: 69.6
            Community Score: 83.9


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