Tampa Rated Best Place In U.S. To Retire, Says Report

TAMPA, FL — The 217,560 people who've retired to Tampa and surrounding communities in Hillsborough County chose wisely.

According to the personal finance website, WalletHub, Tampa ranks as the best out of 180 U.S. cities in which to retire.

According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute’s 2023 Retirement Confidence Survey, 64 percent of workers reported feeling at least somewhat confident that they will have enough money to retire comfortably, but only 27 percent said they were “very confident” they will have enough money for retirement.

To help Americans plan for a comfortable retirement without breaking the bank, WalletHub's 2023’s Best & Worst Places to Retire compared more than 180 U.S. cities across 45 key measures of affordability, quality of life, health care and availability of recreational activities. The data set ranges from the cost of living to retired taxpayer-friendliness to the state’s health infrastructure.

With so many American workers worried about their financial future, many are opting to delay their retirement. According to Gallup polling, workers in 2022 planned to retire at age 66 compared to age 60 in 1995.

And when they do retire, retirees are relocating to areas where they can stretch their dollars without sacrificing their lifestyle.

Retirees are also seeking locations that are safe, offer good health care, have a variety of leisure activities and good weather.

WalletHub found that Tampa satisfied the majority of those requirements, receiving a total score of 59.93 (40 for affordability, 5 for activities, 26 for quality of life and 76 for health care), the highest of the 180 cities in the study.

The next nine best cities in which to retire are:

2. Scottsdale, Arizona, with a score of 59.87.

3. Fort Lauderdale with a score of 58.17.

4. Orlando with a score of 58.09.

5. Miami with a score of 57.47.

6. Casper, Wyoming, with a score of 57.22.

7. Denver, Colorado, with a score of 56.99.

8. Cincinnati, Ohio, with a score of 56.29.

9. Charleston, South Carolina, with a score of 55.93.

10. Atlanta, Georgia, with a score of 55.85.

According to the experts recruited by WalletHub, the worst cities in which to retire are:

• Baltimore, Maryland
• Vancouver, Washington
• Rancho Cucamonga, California
• Wichita, Kansas
• Bridgeport, Connecticut
• Detroit, Michigan
• San Bernardino, California
• Bakersfield, California
• Newark, New Jersey
• Stockton, California

To read comments from the experts and find out more about WalletHub's methodology, click here.