Why Are South Dakota and Minnesota Great States to Retire In?

I guess I'd be more surprised if our two states weren't designated as great places to retire. That is of course, if you're a person who can withstand some brutal winter weather, without whining too much. Other than that, what's not to love?

Those Wallet Hubbers always look at these things scientifically, as they did in their latest study of what makes a state a good place to retire.

They compared all 50 states in three basic categories: 1) Affordability, 2) Quality of Life, and 3) Health Care.

Within those areas, they considered things like -

• Cost of living
• Retired taxpayer friendliness
• Share of 65 & older population who could not afford a doctor's visit
• Risk of social isolation
• Food insecurity rates
• Access to public transportation
• Mildness of weather
• The number of entertainment options (movie theaters, museums, bingo halls, etc.)
• Crime rates
• Air & water quality
• Number of doctors, nurses, home health care aides, per capita
• Quality of public hospitals
• Life expectancy rates
• ...and more!

After crunching the numbers, South Dakota and Minnesota came out in 7th and 8th place respectively. In fact, Minnesota got top honors in the Health Care category and came in second in the Quality of Life Category.

If you'd like to see the complete study, just go to Wallet Hub's Best States to Retire report.