The 10 Best Places to Retire in America

Sarasota, Florida, is the best place to retire in America.

That’s according to U.S. News & World Report, which on Monday released its 2018 ranking of the best places to retire, based on data related to happiness, housing affordability, healthcare, taxes, job markets, and desirability of a locale.

Some data was complied from a public survey of pre-retirees (age 45 to 59) and retirement-age (age 60 and up) folks across the country. Figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and U.S. News’ own ranking of best hospitals, were also included.

U.S. News gathered data for the 100 largest metros, scoring each on a 10-point scale to determine the final ranking. The happiness index carried the most weight (23.8%), followed by housing affordability (20.9%) and access to good healthcare (19.8%). Read the full methodology here.

Below are the top 10 places to retire in America, mostly featuring cities from three states — Texas, Florida, and Pennsylvania. On each slide, we included the happiness, housing, and healthcare scores (each on 10-point scale).

10. Washington, DC

United States Capitol Dome Bordered by Trees in Autumn — Getty Images

Happiness: 7.7

Housing affordability: 3.4

Healthcare: 9.3

9. Austin, Texas

Austin Texas cityscape skyline panorama, Congress Avenue Bridge, late afternoon — Getty Images

Happiness: 7.6

Housing affordability: 6

Healthcare: 5.5

8. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Duquesne Incline With Bright Red Cablecar — drnadig Getty Images

Happiness: 6.9

Housing affordability: 7.5

Healthcare: 7.8

7. Daytona Beach, Florida

Daytona Beach Chairs — KenWiedemann Getty Images

Happiness: 7.4

Housing affordability: 7.2

Healthcare: 5.9

6. McAllen, Texas

McAllen makes the list for @usnews 2018 Best Places to Retire in the United States. #McAllenProud pic.twitter.com/gVxMiPtyMG
— City of McAllen, TX (@CityofMcAllen) October 2, 2017