New York is among the worst states to retire in 2024: study
New York is poised to become the seventh-worst state in the US to take up retirement in 2024, according to a recent study from WalletHub.
States that fared worse than New York include Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Mississippi, New Jersey and Kentucky, which landed in last place.
WalletHub ranked all 50 US states on how retirement-friendly they are based on three key dimensions: affordability, quality of life and health care.
While New York clocked 10th place in quality of life and 12th in health care, the Big Apple was ranked the least affordable state, thus landing it among the worst states to retire.
For reference, the cost of living in New York is 30% higher overall than the national average, while sectors like housing are a staggering 78% higher than the rest of the country while basic necessities like groceries and clothing are each around 12% more than the national average, according to apartment listing service RentCafe.
Across the river, New Jersey fared even worse, ranking the No. 2-worst state to retire, per WalletHub’s standards — just one spot better than it ranked in 2022.
Another recent study by interstate moving company United Van Lines said that for the sixth consecutive year, New Jersey had the most residents leave than any other state in the US.
United Van Lines’ National Movers Study found that a staggering 65% of its moves involving the Garden State were to move residents out — and primarily for retirement.
United Van Lines spokesperson Eily Cummings told The Post at the time that 32% of the company’s New Jersey outbound moves “are to Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina.”
New Jersey has the highest property taxes in the US, where the average effective property tax rate is 2.49%, according to mortgages firm Rocket Mortgage.
For reference, the national average is just 0.99%, and in New York, it’s 1.72%.
Though WalletHub didn’t go into depth about why the worst states to retire in aren’t ideal for retirees aged at least 62 — when Americans can take Social Security retirement benefits — it explained why Florida topped the list as a “retirement paradise.”
Florida ranks as the best state to retire because it’s extremely tax friendly, as it boasts no state income, estate or inheritance taxes.
Aside from financial factors, the Sunshine State’s beaches, golf courses and country clubs make it an appealing and relaxing environment for retirees, WalletHub reported, noting that Florida has one of the lowest death rates for people aged 65 and older in the country.
The findings support a study published by SmartAsset last year, which found that New York City residents with a $650,000 salary can save roughly $200,000 by ditching the Big Apple’s exorbitant rents and taxes for the sun-soaked beaches of Miami.
In New York, workers are subjected to an effective tax rate of 45% — when you factor federal, state and local taxes — which drops to 35% as Miami resident.
Amazon’s billionaire founder Jeff Bezos was even accused of trying to skirt around paying more taxes after recently announcing that he would be leaving his longtime Seattle home in favor of a multimillion-dollar estate on Florida’s ultra-exclusive Indian Creek island, also known as “Billionaire Bunker.”
Colorado and Virginia, meanwhile, were ranked by WalletHub as the No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, best states to retire.
Colorado nabbed a top spot for its taxpayer-friendly conditions, WalletHub said — it doesn’t charge estate or inheritance tax — as well as its concentration of high-ranking geriatrics hospitals.
Virginia, though not a particularly cheap state to live in — it ranked 11th for affordability, per WalletHub — it has some of the best elder-abuse protections in the country and a low crime rate, according to the personal finance company.
