People planning for their golden years may be wondering about the safest states for retirement. After all, you worked hard, and you want to be sure you stick around to enjoy it. Although each state has its advantages and disadvantages, several stand out as some of the safest states in the country to spend retirement.
Key safety factors
Key factors where the safest states to retire excel
There are a few areas that are important to senior safety that are worth highlighting before digging into the safest states to retire.
- Access to affordable healthcare: Seniors generally require more doctor visits than people in their 20s. A high number of doctors specializing in geriatrics can make a state much safer to live in than those with less affordable healthcare access. Imagine having a life-threatening condition and not being able to see a doctor due to long wait times or simply not being able to afford it. Not having a good doctor is one of the greatest risks for the elderly.
- Motor vehicle deaths and other early deaths: Fatal car accidents can be a serious concern for the elderly. A car crash has a higher chance of killing a driver older than 70 than a middle-aged driver. Drivers aged 70+ have higher crash death rates per 1,000 crashes than middle-aged drivers (aged 35-54). So, safe roads should be a concern for retirees. And other causes of early death, like firearms, unintentional injuries, or simply poor health, also play a factor in determining the safest states to retire.
- Social isolation: Social isolation can play a role in increasing mental health issues, which could lead to early death. And there's always truth to the saying "safety in numbers." States with strong communities of retirees can help older people live longer, happier lives.
- Fraud: Retirees are the biggest targets for fraud. As a group, retirees have more money and are easier to take advantage of with fraudulent schemes like debt collection and identity theft. If someone steals your money, you're not going to feel safe, and you're not going to have the means to live the retirement you planned.
Violent and property crime rates
Safest states to retire based on violent and property crime rates
A recent study by The Motley Fool surveyed 1,500 Americans 55 and older to find out retirement factors that were most important to them. Those preferences were used to inform an index to rank the best states to retire in.
The index used numerous factors and weights, including crime, to determine the best and worst states to retire to in 2025. The following table contains the study's analysis of data from the America's Health Rankings Crime Report and Federal Bureau of Investigation to rank the top 10 safest states to retire based specifically on violent and property crime rates.
Each state was then assigned a crime and safety score, ranked on a scale from 0 to 100, where 100 represents the best possible outcome.
| Crime rank | State | Crime and safety score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Idaho | 100 |
| 2 | Vermont | 98 |
| 3 | Maine | 96 |
| 4 | Hawaii | 95 |
| 5 | Wisconsin | 95 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | 93 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | 93 |
| 8 | New Jersey | 91 |
| 9 | West Virginia | 91 |
| 10 | Connecticut | 88 |
Understanding the impact of these factors on the safest states to retire is important. According to FBI data reviewed by Seniorly, crime against America's seniors has risen exponentially over the past decade. Violent crime rates against this age demographic increased by 331% and 79%, respectively, between 2013 and 2023 alone.
Safest states to retire
Safest states to retire overall
In late 2024, a Seniorly analysis of FBI and other federal data reviewed the safest states for retirees, based on a range of criteria including crime as well as other core factors:
- Property crimes against older adults.
- Violent crimes against older adults.
- Scams against older adults.
- Police officers per 100,000 older adults.
- Fall-related deaths among older adults.
- Older adults involved in fatal car crashes.
- Hospital beds per 1,000 Medicare enrollees.
The following five states, presented in no particular order, are very safe for retirees.
New Jersey
New Jersey ranks highly across the board.
- Retirees living in New Jersey face low rates of crime against older people, fewer fatalities from falls and motor vehicle accidents, and a strong police presence relative to adults who are older than 65 in other states.
- Individuals who decide to retire in New Jersey will want to know that it boasts some of the lowest rates of property and violent crimes against seniors in the nation, with 523.2 property crimes for every 100,000 seniors and 33.9 violent crimes per 100,000 seniors.
- Retirees in New Jersey also experience fewer fall-related fatalities compared to other states. New Jersey is the second safest state in the nation on this particular metric, with fall-related deaths happening among just 35.4 per 100,000 older adults.
- Seniors living in New Jersey are also involved in fewer fatal traffic accidents than most retirees nationwide, at a rate of 11.5 per 100,000 drivers.
New York
Spending your older years in New York could be more costly for both housing and non-housing expenses than in many other states. However, there are some notable benefits that retirees could enjoy as well.
- New York retirees experience fewer accidents than those residing in many other states.
- In fact, there are just 49.4 fall-related deaths per 100,000 retirees.
- Meanwhile, just 8.1 older adults in New York are involved in fatal car crashes per 100,000 drivers.
- The weather tends to be quite hot and humid in the summer and cold in winter, so retirees looking for a mild place to retire may want to look elsewhere.
Mississippi
Mississippi could be a great place to retire if you're looking for low fraud rates, an extremely moderate rate of property and violent crimes, plus one of the best states for the ratio of hospital beds per 1,000 Medicare enrollees.
- Mississippi has the lowest rates of elder fraud in the nation. In fact, the state has just 60.9 complainants ages 60 and up per 100,000 seniors.
- There is a strong law enforcement presence per 100,000 older adults compared to the rest of the U.S. That figure comes to 1,431 police officers for every 100,000 senior citizens.
- Mississippi boasts some of the lowest rates of property crime and violent crimes among older adults in the nation, ranking the fourth-safest out of all 50 states and the District of Columbia on these two metrics.
- There are 34.5 violent crimes and 498.4 property crimes per 100,000 older adults in Mississippi.
- There are 20.4 hospital beds per 1,000 Medicare enrollees, ranking Mississippi fourth in the nation overall on this safety metric.
Louisiana
The scenic views offered by Louisiana, its cultural heritage, vibrant music scene, delicious cuisine, and affordable cost of living could be just what calls to you in retirement. And you can get them in one of the safest states for retirement.
- Louisiana boasts one of the lowest rates of elder fraud in the country, coming in second place nationwide as one of the safest states to live on the basis of this metric.
- There are 67.2 complainants ages 60 and up per 100,000 seniors for scams among older adults.
- Louisiana ranks No. 2 nationwide for its ratio of law enforcement officers to senior citizens. There are 1,595 police officers per 100,000 older adults in Louisiana.
- Louisiana ranks fourth nationwide for its ratio of fall-related fatalities among older adults, reporting just 46.4 such deaths per 100,000 individuals.
- Louisiana also ranks third nationwide for its ratio of hospital beds per Medicare enrollees. The state has 22.5 hospital beds per 1,000 Medicare enrollees, with only North Dakota and the District of Columbia rating higher on this metric.
Nebraska
Nebraska is known for its low cost of living, friendly communities, a variety of outdoor activities, and many charming small as well as mid-sized towns and cities. It's the fifth safest state for seniors in the nation. Here's why.
- The state has one the lowest rates of violent crime against seniors, with just 35.5 incidents per 100,000 older adults.
- Besides having one of the lowest rates of violence against older adults in the country, Nebraska has a strong police presence.
- The state also has low rates of elder fraud while maintaining good access to hospital beds for older residents.
- In 2024, there were 380,220 Medicare beneficiaries in Nebraska.
- 26.4% of Nebraska residents had incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL) in 2023, less than the U.S. share (28.2%).
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Where to retire
Should you consider these states for retirement?
The United States is a big country with a lot of great places to spend your golden years. The above five states are some of the safest for people older than 65, given their strong and affordable healthcare systems, safe drivers, welcoming communities, and moderate levels of fraud.
That said, things can be a lot different based on localities within a state. There might be great parts of some states that rank poorly overall on those metrics. Likewise, there might be not-so-great places to live in the states mentioned in this article. Be sure to do your research on the specific town you're looking to move to in retirement.
Relocating in retirement can be a great way to explore new things now that you don't have a job. Just be sure your retirement plans include moving to a safe area so you can spend as much time as you can enjoying them.
Retirement location FAQ
What state is the safest for retirement?
Based on low mortality rates and access to healthcare, New Jersey is one of the safest states for retirement. However, the answer could change depending on the factors that are important to your own personal safety. To say any one state is safest is difficult. What one person considers a key to safety may be inconsequential to someone else.
Which states are poor retirement options?
While there are likely good places to retire in just about any state, some states aren't as great for seniors as others. Arizona, for example, has the highest rate of fraud against seniors of any state in the union.
Which state is No. 1 for retirement?
The No. 1 state for retirement based on Seniorly's safety analysis of federal data is New Jersey, followed by New York, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Nebraska.
Which states don't tax pensions and Social Security?
Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming have no state income tax and don't tax pensions and Social Security. New Hampshire only taxes interest and dividend income, although this tax will only apply for tax year 2024 and will be fully phased out for 2025 and beyond.
Alabama, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Mississippi, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania don't tax pensions or Social Security. Only nine states do or will continue to tax Social Security benefits in 2025, including Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia.
