November 26, 2023
Forget the sun-soaked palm trees of Florida. For Americans approaching retirement age, Pennsylvania is increasingly the place to be, according to U.S. News and World Report's 2024 list of Best Places to Retire in the U.S.
Harrisburg was named the best place in the country to retire in the new rankings, while six other Pennsylvania locales broke the top ten. Reading, Lancaster, Scranton and Allentown joined Harrisburg in the top five, while York, Pa. landed at number 7 and Pittsburgh was ranked number 10.
Philadelphia's allure for retirees is on the rise as well. The City of Brotherly Love was named the thirteenth best place to retire in the 2024 rankings, jumping six spots up from the #19 spot in last year's list.
The list cites Philadelphia's rich culture and relative affordability as two of its main draws, calling out its food scene, museums and public parks specifically. While housing costs have increased in the city, U.S. News notes that it remains only slightly more expensive than the national average.
Even as it climbs the retirement-friendliness rankings, Philly remains a relatively young city. As of 2022, just 14.5% of Philadelphia's population was 65 years or older, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau. By contrast, more than 21% of the city's residents were under the age of 18.
To calculate its annual list of best places to retire, U.S. News and World Report uses a combination of self-gathered survey results and data from the United States Census Bureau and other federal government agencies to rank 150 different metropolitan areas according to quality-of-life metrics like housing affordability, healthcare, retiree tax rates, job market health and overall desirability.
Here are the top ten best places to retire, according to this year's rankings:
The list's methodology only looks at more populated metropolitan areas in the U.S., thereby excluding smaller towns and municipalities that may nonetheless be popular among retirees, according to U.S. News' website.
Despite its reputation as a top destination for U.S. retirees, Florida only broke the list's top ten once this year, with Daytona Beach ranking at number 8. By contrast, Florida held four of the list's top ten spots last year, although by then the Sunshine State had already started losing ground to Pennsylvania in the rankings. Lancaster was named the best place to retire last year, while Harrisburg, York, Allentown and Reading were among the top ten.
