The 10 Best States to Grow Old in

good to know for growing older...

from caring.com

When you picture the place where you’ll live out your golden years, what do you see? For many people, it’s a family home with plenty of relatives and friends living close by. For others, it may be a far-flung destination they’ve long dreamed of retiring in.

Whether or not you plan to stay in your current state of residence or relocate, there are some important considerations to take into account.

While proximity of family and friends is the top factor when deciding where to live in your later years, things such as access to quality healthcare, the cost of senior care and support for seniors in a given area are also important to consider.

These types of considerations are especially key when deciding where to live in your late 70s, 80s, 90s, and beyond, as more and more people now do, says Sara Zeff Geber, Ph. D, an author and retirement planning expert.

“At that age, we really need to start thinking about someplace that’s stable, someplace that’s safe and someplace that we can afford,” she says. “Those things don’t always add up to the Sun Belt.”

Caring.com’s own research found that the states that offer the best mix of quality healthcare, long-term care, affordability and selection of senior care and overall quality of life aren’t always found in the typical retirement destinations like Florida or Arizona. In fact, the states that offer ideal conditions for those 55 and older will probably surprise you.

We assembled these ratings by incorporating data on quality of life in a given area for residents over 55, quality of healthcare, long-term care, support for seniors and family caregivers, affordability of senior care and more than 100,000 ratings of senior care providers in each state. Sources included Genworth’s 2015 Cost of Care Survey, the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, and the Long-term Scorecard, a joint effort by AARP, The Commonwealth Fund and The SCAN Foundation.

1. South Dakota
2. Iowa
3. Minnesota
4. Alaska
5. Oregon
6. Colorado
7. Hawaii
8. South Carolina
9. Nebraska
10. Wisconsin