12 Worst U.S. Cities for Retirement: 2022

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With a majority of Americans lacking full confidence that they will have enough money to retire comfortably, according to research from the Employee Benefit Research Institute, finding an affordable city in which to spend their later years is a top priority for many.

WalletHub recently published a report that ranked cities on a spectrum from the most to the least desirable places where retirees’ dollars go farther without sacrificing quality of life.

The study found a stark contrast between the best and worst places to retire in terms of not only money but also access to health care, safety, ways to spend leisure time and more. 

Researchers at the personal finance website examined 182 U.S. cities, including the 150 most-populated ones and at least two of the most-populated ones in each state.

They evaluated affordability, activities, quality of life and health care, using 46 metrics and grading each one on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing the most favorable conditions for retirement. They then determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score.

See the gallery for the 12 cities that ranked worst in the sample.

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