The Best (and Worst) States to Age in Place

To identify the best states to age in place, the Retirement Living Research Team analyzed 14 metrics related to home health care access, safety, cost of living and community support. Read on for the complete rundown — and to see how your state stacks up.

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The 5 Best States to Age in Place

Among the overall top five states, there are high- and low-ranking finishes across the different categories we measured. For example, in safety, the top five states rank from third best (New Hampshire) to the middle of the pack (Washington, South Dakota). For access to quality health care, the spread is even wider; the top-ranked states range from eighth best (Utah) to 11th worst (New Hampshire).

So, what’s the common thread among the top-ranked states? It’s ample access to the ties that bind — without breaking the bank. All five have outstanding marks for social connection and community support, with a manageable cost of living, ranking in the top 15 states in each category.

Check out the map below for a bird’s-eye view of the best places for seniors to live independently. Then, read on for a closer look at the top-ranked states.

1. Utah

Utah cruises easily into the top-ranked state for seniors to age in place, performing well across every category we measured and taking the top rank for several key metrics. 

The Beehive State is buzzing with opportunities for seniors to stay socially connected, ranking first in that category. Utah leads the nation for senior volunteerism, with nearly 45% of adults 65 and over engaged in service, and boasts America’s lowest risk of social isolation for seniors. The state’s superior broadband internet access (91.2% of seniors) can help seniors stay plugged in digitally, too. 

Beyond connection and community, Utah is also an affordable spot for seniors to spend their golden years. The senior poverty rate is just 7.7% — the lowest in the nation. The state also ranks in the top 10 for home health care. It especially shines in the quality department: More than a quarter of all home health agencies have a 4.5- or 5-star quality of patient care rating.

2. South Dakota

South Dakota is the second-best state for seniors to age in place. It boasts an impressively low cost of living for older adults — the second best in the nation. South Dakota seniors benefit from no state income tax and low poverty rates among those 65 and up. And fewer than one in five seniors in South Dakota are cost-burdened by housing, one of the lowest rates in the country.

You could think of South Dakota as a “best-kept secret” — the 65-plus population is on the smaller side. But that doesn’t mean the experience of aging in place here is a lonely one. The Mount Rushmore State ranks third best for social connection and community support. With a high concentration of senior centers (more than four times the national figure) and robust volunteerism (44.3%), senior South Dakotans have an abundance of opportunities to engage in their communities.

South Dakota also stands out for the quality of its home health care — among the best in the nation, based on the share of agencies with a 4.5- or 5-star rating (33.3%).

3. Idaho

For the third-best spot to age in place, we head west — all the way to Idaho. Like the other top-ranked states, Idaho earns high marks for social connection and community support, ranking sixth best in America for that category. 

That’s not the only area where the Gem State shines. Idaho ranks eighth best for safety and stability, including the lowest property crime rate in the U.S. It also ranks eighth best for cost of living. Low rates of Idaho seniors are cost-burdened by housing or experiencing poverty.

4. Washington

Washington earns the fourth-best ranking with a balance of lower living costs, ample opportunities for social connection, and quality health care for seniors aging in place. 

Seniors in the Evergreen State have an abundance of choices for home health care providers. The state has more than 72 home health or personal care professionals for every 1,000 senior residents, the strongest ratio among the states ranked highest overall. And nearly a quarter of home health care agencies have a top rating, so there’s no shortage of high-quality options. Overall, Washington ranks 11th best for home health care access and quality.

Washington’s also a top state (ninth best) for cost of living. Seniors benefit from no state income tax, so they hang on to more of their paycheck or their Social Security benefits.

5. New Hampshire

New Hampshire rounds out the top five states for older Americans to age in place. It’s the safest among the top ranks, at third best for safety and stability. While Granite State seniors can face dangerously cold winters (average temperature of 17 degrees), the mild summers (77 degrees) provide some respite. Aging in place could make some seniors feel vulnerable, but New Hampshire’s impressively low crime rates offer its more mature residents some additional peace of mind.

While New Hampshire is the only Northeastern state in the top five, it’s not so different from the others. It’s a top state (eighth best) for social connection and community support, with one of the highest rates of broadband internet access for seniors in the country (91.6%) and the second-lowest risk of social isolation.

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Where Are The Worst States to Age in Place?

The majority of the bottom-ranked states feature a combination of middling to high costs of living, mediocre to poor home health care and low scores for social connection and community support.

New Mexico takes the worst rank. While it scores in the top half for home health care quality and access, the Land of Enchantment scores worst in the nation for safety and among the worst states for cost of living and community support.

The 10 most challenging states for aging in place are:

Despite a tendency toward high cost of living, the Northeast is the only region not represented in the bottom 10.

While the above states rank worst overall according to our methodology, it’s worth taking a closer look at the data to understand the total picture. Some states rank poorly in most areas, but score highly in a category that some may value the most.

Consider Hawaii. The Aloha State ranks in the bottom 10 overall and scores the poorest for access to quality home health care. But it’s not all bad news for Hawaii seniors who are considering whether to age in place. The state ranks the best in the nation for safety and stability, thanks to a low violent crime rate and mild winters.

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How Each State Compares for Aging in Place

No matter where you live, aging in place can offer significant benefits for your health, finances and overall well-being. But some states offer friendlier environments than others, depending on the factors most important to you and your loved ones.

Despite its reputation as a retirement mecca, high costs and a care-provider crunch kept Florida out of the top 10. An above-average rate of cost-burdened seniors and a shortage of home health aides dampened the Sunshine State’s overall score, which is 12th best.

And it’s not just Florida. At the regional level, the South didn’t perform as well as some might expect. In fact, South Carolina is the only Southern state — and the only state in the wider Sun Belt — to rank in the top 10. 

The Western region offers a mixed bag for seniors who wish to age in place. More than any other region, Western states are clustered at either extreme, with three states in the top 10 and six states in the bottom 10.

For a closer look at the best states for seniors to age in place, check out the full data below.

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Methodology

The Retirement Living Research Team identified the best states to age in place by evaluating all 50 U.S. states. In each metric across four categories, the top-performing state received the highest possible score, while the remaining states received relative scores. 

We then combined category scores to calculate an overall score out of 100 points. Higher scores indicate stronger overall conditions for aging in place.

Social connection and community support (20 points): This category includes the risk of social isolation among adults 65 and older (7 points), the number of senior centers per 100,000 seniors (6 points), the senior volunteer rate (3.5 points) and the share of seniors with broadband internet access (3.5 points). Data is from America’s Health Rankings (2023), the Administration for Community Living (2023) and the U.S. Census Bureau (2024).

Home health access and quality (35 points): This category includes the percentage of home health agencies with quality of patient care ratings of 4.5 stars or higher (13 points), the number of home health and personal care aides per 1,000 seniors (13 points) and the number of seniors using home health services per 1,000 Medicare beneficiaries (9 points). Data is from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (2023 and 2025) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024).

Safety and stability (25 points): This category includes the violent crime rate per 1,000 residents (8 points), the property crime rate per 1,000 residents (5 points), the average winter temperature (8 points) and the average summer temperature (4 points). Data is from NeighborhoodScout (2024) and Weather Spark (2024).

Cost of living for older adults (20 points): This category includes the share of cost-burdened senior households (spending 30% or more of income on housing) (6 points), the senior poverty rate (6 points) and a rating of tax friendliness for seniors (8 points). Data is from the U.S. Census Bureau (2024) and SSA.tools (2026).

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Reference Policy

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Questions?

For questions about the data or if you’d like to set up an interview, please contact [email protected].

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Article Sources

Retirement Living writers primarily rely on government data, industry experts, and original research from other reputable publications to inform their work. Specific sources for this article include:

1. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, “Home Health Care – State by State Data.” Accessed March 9, 2026.
2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.” Accessed March 9, 2026.
3. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, “CMS Program Statistics – Medicare Home Health Agency.” Accessed March 9, 2026.
4. NeighborhoodScout, “NeighborhoodScout.” Accessed March 9, 2026.
5. Weather Spark, “Weather Spark.” Accessed March 9, 2026.
6. U.S. Census Bureau, “Explore Census Data.” Accessed March 9, 2026.
7. SSA.tools, “State Taxes on Social Security Benefits.” Accessed March 9, 2026.
8. America’s Health Rankings, “Risk of Social Isolation – Age 65+ in United States.” Accessed March 9, 2026.
9. Administration for Community Living, “Aging, Independence, and Disability (AGID) Data Portal.” Accessed March 9, 2026.
10. America’s Health Rankings, “Volunteerism – Age 65+ in United States.” Accessed March 9, 2026.
11. Yale School of Medicine, “Geographic Location Affects Health Risks in Older Adults.” Accessed March 9, 2026.
12. University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation, “Older Adults’ Preparedness to Age in Place.” Accessed March 9, 2025.