What does this retirement age ranking show?

It orders states by Share of residents 65 and over. It is a comparison of this one published measure, not an overall ranking of where to live.

Where do these figures come from?

U.S. Census Bureau supplies this measure. States without a comparable published value are shown as not ranked rather than estimated.

How should I use this ranking?

Use it to narrow a search, then open a state or county profile for the underlying figures, source dates and caveats. A statewide number may not describe every neighbourhood.

Rankings · Place

Lowest retirement age by state

Share of residents 65 and over.

This measure has no better end. The order describes the states, it does not rank them — see the other direction.

Residents at or past the usual retirement age. High figures mean retirement destinations and places young people have left, which look identical here and differ completely — read it against net migration and population change to tell them apart.

How to read this ranking

Utah has the lowest published retirement age in this comparison, at 11.9%. The next states shown are District of Columbia (12.8%) and Texas (13.4%).

The table orders 51 states by share of residents 65 and over. It describes one published measure, not an overall judgment about where to live.

Use the result as a starting point, then compare the underlying source, dates, and local county figures before making a decision. Residents at or past the usual retirement age. High figures mean retirement destinations and places young people have left, which look identical here and differ completely — read it against net migration and population change to tell them apart.

1Utah11.9%
2District of Columbia12.8%
3Texas13.4%
4Alaska13.8%
5Georgia15.0%
6Colorado15.6%
7California15.7%
8Oklahoma16.3%
9North Dakota16.5%
10Maryland16.6%
11Washington16.6%
12Louisiana16.7%
13Nebraska16.7%
14Virginia16.7%
15Indiana16.8%
16Idaho17.0%
17Illinois17.0%
18Kansas17.0%
19Nevada17.0%
20Tennessee17.1%
21Mississippi17.2%
22North Carolina17.2%
23New Jersey17.2%
24Kentucky17.3%
25Minnesota17.3%
26Arkansas17.6%
27Alabama17.8%
28Massachusetts17.9%
29Missouri17.9%
30New York17.9%
31South Dakota18.0%
32Iowa18.1%
33Ohio18.3%
34Connecticut18.5%
35Wisconsin18.5%
36Wyoming18.5%
37Michigan18.6%
38Rhode Island18.7%
39Arizona18.9%
40South Carolina18.9%
41Oregon19.1%
42New Mexico19.3%
43Pennsylvania19.5%
44Montana20.1%
45New Hampshire20.1%
46Hawaii20.5%
47Delaware20.6%
48West Virginia21.0%
49Florida21.3%
50Vermont21.4%
51Maine22.4%

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Frequently asked questions

What does this ranking show?: It orders states by Share of residents 65 and over. It is one measure, not an overall verdict on where to live.
Where do the figures come from?: U.S. Census Bureau. States without a comparable published figure are listed as not ranked rather than estimated.
How should I use it?: Use it to narrow your search, then open a state or county profile for the source date, caveats and local context.

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<iframe src="https://movermath.com/embed/retirement-age" width="100%" height="420" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Share of residents 65 and over by state"></iframe>

Source: U.S. Census Bureau. · How this is built

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