Best Places to Retire in Florida

Adam McCann, Financial WriterNov 3, 2021

Adam McCann, Financial Writer
Nov 3, 2021

Florida may not be the ideal place for retirees at the moment due to the COVID-19 pandemic and rising cases. Once the pandemic is under control, though, it should continue to rank as the best state for Americans to spend their golden years. The reason is simple: Florida crosses off many items on a retiree’s wish list, starting with cheap living costs, one of the biggest considerations for older Americans who’ve stopped working and rely on a smaller income. And while Florida’s health care needs work in some areas, it does boast high marks in direct primary care and pharmaceutical access.

Beyond practical qualities, this Southern charmer is teeming with excitement. Here, retirees are likely to avoid boredom and burnout — common problems among this group — with a wide variety of choices for indoor and outdoor activities, coupled with volunteer opportunities and part- or full-time jobs. Throw in the wraparound coastline and foodie-worthy cuisine, and there will be nothing left to crave. Best of all, no one pays income tax, so every dollar goes a long way.

Florida’s unmatched status as a retirement paradise, however, doesn’t rub off on every one of its cities. To determine where retirees can look forward to living out their best years in the Sunshine State, WalletHub’s data crunchers compared more than 100 of its largest cities across 29 key indicators of retiree-friendliness. Our data set ranges from cost of living to health care facilities per capita to number of attractions.

Table of Contents

Main Findings

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Best & Worst Places to Retire in Florida

Overall Rank	City	Total Score	Quality of Life	Health Care	Activities
1	Sarasota, FL	69.66	5	3	1
2	Fort Myers, FL	63.17	12	2	9
3	Boca Raton, FL	62.69	54	4	4
4	Miami, FL	62.48	36	5	5
5	Orlando, FL	58.54	58	22	3
6	Tampa, FL	56.32	89	45	2
7	Sebastian, FL	55.65	1	47	43
8	Fort Lauderdale, FL	55.02	76	29	6
9	Delray Beach, FL	54.92	66	7	13
10	Clearwater, FL	54.87	20	15	18
11	Bradenton, FL	54.71	6	19	25
12	Immokalee, FL	54.05	11	1	66
13	Jupiter, FL	53.56	27	24	15
14	Winter Park, FL	53.51	26	9	24
15	Pensacola, FL	52.57	38	54	10
16	South Bradenton, FL	52.06	7	92	19
17	Bonita Springs, FL	52.01	8	16	38
18	Cape Coral, FL	51.83	4	33	34
19	Melbourne, FL	51.10	87	10	21
20	Estero, FL	51.02	2	38	41
21	Wellington, FL	50.60	21	17	42
22	West Palm Beach, FL	50.48	110	11	12
23	North Fort Myers, FL	50.17	3	32	53
24	Boynton Beach, FL	49.82	98	6	27
25	Tarpon Springs, FL	49.82	39	49	22
26	Hallandale Beach, FL	49.67	13	30	64
27	Dunedin, FL	49.34	14	69	31
28	Palm Beach Gardens, FL	49.02	47	12	48
29	Riviera Beach, FL	48.89	108	26	7
30	New Smyrna Beach, FL	48.81	18	118	11
31	Panama City, FL	47.85	97	43	17
32	Jacksonville, FL	47.57	48	20	50
33	St. Petersburg, FL	47.56	60	73	23
34	Tamarac, FL	47.31	9	28	94
35	Horizon West, FL	47.30	83	71	14
36	North Port, FL	47.19	10	50	93
37	Lake Worth, FL	46.90	104	13	28
38	Lehigh Acres, FL	46.60	56	42	39
39	Gainesville, FL	46.46	25	68	44
40	Oakleaf Plantation, FL	46.38	90	21	61
41	Coral Gables, FL	46.36	46	27	56
42	Parkland, FL	46.24	41	53	51
43	Greenacres, FL	46.19	109	25	26
44	Daytona Beach, FL	46.08	50	115	16
45	Fort Pierce, FL	45.96	79	51	30
46	Hollywood, FL	45.70	44	40	54
47	Lauderdale Lakes, FL	45.05	64	48	63
48	Ormond Beach, FL	45.00	16	112	32
49	Pompano Beach, FL	44.99	91	60	33
50	Royal Palm Beach, FL	44.94	67	23	72
51	Coral Terrace, FL	44.79	92	35	52
52	Keystone, FL	44.74	112	90	8
53	Margate, FL	44.40	17	75	92
54	Miami Beach, FL	44.34	107	83	20
55	University Park, FL	44.26	105	35	29
56	Oakland Park, FL	44.23	65	62	55
57	Largo, FL	44.21	29	39	82
58	Titusville, FL	44.10	62	34	74
59	Aventura, FL	43.93	23	44	117
60	Cooper City, FL	43.84	40	100	58
61	North Lauderdale, FL	43.82	70	72	62
62	Winter Springs, FL	43.62	19	79	101
63	Sunrise, FL	43.54	35	80	71
64	Altamonte Springs, FL	43.54	85	14	104
65	Pembroke Pines, FL	43.32	45	66	81
66	Oviedo, FL	43.18	22	61	96
67	Weston, FL	43.16	55	56	78
68	Plantation, FL	43.13	61	46	86
69	Hialeah, FL	43.00	28	55	107
69	Spring Hill, FL	43.00	95	70	40
71	Ocala, FL	42.95	111	8	76
72	Lauderhill, FL	42.93	37	87	80
73	Sanford, FL	42.87	93	91	36
74	Miami Lakes, FL	42.77	80	31	109
75	Pinellas Park, FL	42.68	84	59	67
76	North Miami Beach, FL	42.63	88	18	102
77	Casselberry, FL	42.10	32	94	83
78	Winter Garden, FL	41.98	63	105	49
79	DeLand, FL	41.97	49	113	35
80	Rockledge, FL	41.96	30	41	119
81	Port St. Lucie, FL	41.72	24	98	115
82	Palm Harbor, FL	41.66	74	37	84
83	Winter Haven, FL	41.63	34	85	103
84	Port Orange, FL	41.61	15	117	60
85	Deerfield Beach, FL	41.41	69	64	85
86	Cutler Bay, FL	41.14	42	101	97
87	Kendall, FL	41.02	82	78	88
88	Palm Bay, FL	40.96	59	76	108
89	Kissimmee, FL	40.95	53	99	75
90	Clermont, FL	40.93	31	111	65
91	Temple Terrace, FL	40.77	52	107	77
92	Port Charlotte, FL	40.70	71	63	95
93	Dania Beach, FL	40.54	81	95	68
94	Tallahassee, FL	40.49	94	106	45
95	Palm Coast, FL	40.47	43	65	105
96	Doral, FL	40.28	102	52	73
97	Lakeland, FL	40.17	72	114	46
98	Miramar, FL	40.13	100	81	70
99	Coral Springs, FL	39.88	68	82	99
100	Davie, FL	39.80	77	86	86
101	Ocoee, FL	39.76	57	104	89
102	Coconut Creek, FL	39.69	51	93	110
103	Apopka, FL	39.28	73	88	98
104	Merritt Island, FL	39.17	75	57	111
105	Fleming Island, FL	38.55	101	58	118
106	Ruskin, FL	38.44	114	103	47
107	North Miami, FL	37.69	99	74	113
108	Homestead, FL	37.62	106	67	106
109	Miami Gardens, FL	37.28	96	96	112
110	Valrico, FL	36.80	118	110	37
111	Plant City, FL	36.43	117	89	69
112	The Villages, FL	36.18	78	108	116
113	Land O' Lakes, FL	36.14	113	84	100
114	Deltona, FL	35.13	86	120	57
115	Navarre, FL	34.82	103	116	79
116	Wesley Chapel, FL	34.81	115	77	114
117	Town 'n' Country, FL	34.69	119	109	59
118	Brandon, FL	34.54	116	97	90
119	St. Cloud, FL	34.32	33	119	120
120	Riverview, FL	33.30	120	102	91

Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that city, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

artwork 2021 best cities to retire in fl

Ask the Experts

Florida has consistently ranked as the No. 1 retirement destination in America — and for good reason. To help other states emulate Florida’s success, we asked a panel of experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:

Are retirees a drain on state and local budgets in Florida or do they pay more in taxes than they use in state and local services?
In choosing the best cities to retire in Florida, what are the top five indicators?
Are there lessons other states should learn from Florida in terms of attracting retirees?
What is the most important policy that Governor Ron DeSantis and other state and local policymakers should pursue to better meet the needs of retirees in Florida?

Ask the Experts

Dawn C. Carr
Ph.D., MGS, FGSA – Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty Associate, Pepper Institute on Aging and Public Policy; Co-Director, Aging Research on Contexts, Health and Inequalities – Florida State University
Read More

Andrew Burnstine
Ph.D. – Associate Professor, College of Business and Management – Lynn University
Read More

Robert W. Tiller
CFP®, CFS®, RFC® – Raymond James Financial Director of the Personal Financial Planning Program, Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance, MUMA College of Business – University of South Florida
Read More

Methodology

In order to determine the most ideal places in Florida to retire, WalletHub’s analysts compared a sample of 120 cities in the state across three key dimensions: 1) Quality of Life, 2) Health and 3) Activities.

We evaluated those dimensions using 29 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for retirement. For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), the square root of the population was used to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.

Finally, we determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Quality of Life – Total Points: 33.33

Adjusted Cost of Living: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
Share of Population Aged 65 & Older: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
Share of Households with Severe Housing Problems: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
Note: This composite metric measures the percentage of households with at least one or more of the following housing problems:
Discount Stores per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
Elderly-Friendly Labor Market: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
Note: This composite metric measures the following:
Share of Commuters Who Use Public Transit: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
Violent-Crime Rate: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
Property-Crime Rate: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
Air Quality: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
Water Quality: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
Note: This metric measures the number of drinking water violations from Community Water Systems per 100,000 Residents.

Health Care – Total Points: 33.33

Average Daily COVID-19 Cases in the Past Week per Capita: Double Weight (~7.41 Points)
Health Care Facilities per Capita: Full Weight (~3.70 Points)
Home-Care Facilities per Capita: Full Weight (~3.70 Points)
Family Medicine Physicians per 10,000 Residents: Full Weight (~3.70 Points)
Dentists per 10,000 Residents: Full Weight (~3.70 Points)
Nurses per 1,000 Residents: Full Weight (~3.70 Points)
Life Expectancy: Full Weight (~3.70 Points)
Death Rate for Population Aged 65 & Older: Full Weight (~3.70 Points)

Activities – Total Points: 33.33

Number of Attractions: Full Weight (~3.03 Points)
Note: “Attractions” include, for instance, zoos, museums and theaters.
Senior Centers per Capita: Full Weight (~3.03 Points)
Fitness & Recreational Sports Centers per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.03 Points)
Golf Courses & Country Clubs per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.03 Points)
Fishing Facilities per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.03 Points)
Museums per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.03 Points)
Theaters per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.03 Points)
Art Galleries per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.03 Points)
Music Venues per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.03 Points)
Availability of Adult Volunteer Activities: Full Weight (~3.03 Points)
Weather: Full Weight (~3.03 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Cities with the Best & Worst Weather” ranking.

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Elder Affairs - State of Florida, United States Environmental Protection Agency, County Health Rankings, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Charity Navigator, AreaVibes, The New York Times and Wallethub research.

Questions & Answers(5 questions)

Where do the villages rank

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how about homosassa fla.

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where does Destin Fl. fit in?

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Is the score 1 the best score for quality of life.

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Where does Naples fit in?

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