Housing News

Enjoy Your Golden Years: These are the 10 Best Places to Retire in America in 2025

June 26, 2025

Most retirees have done the heavy lifting—working, saving, planning. Now comes the fun part: choosing where to spend their golden years. If beaches, low state taxes, and year-round flip-flop weather sound appealing, Florida might just be calling.

Naples, Fla. was named the best place in the U.S. to retire, according to U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings.

“Retirees seek a destination that will not only stretch their dollar, but is also a place for enjoyment,” said Dawn Bradbury, the assistant managing editor for real estate at U.S. News.

Three of the top 10 cities were in Florida, which has no income tax. That means that in addition to the year-round warm weather, retirees don’t have to pay state taxes on their Social Security benefits, pensions, and 401(k) accounts.

Seven of the best cities for retirees were in the South. The region generally offers more affordable real estate and a lower cost of living than some other parts of the county.

Naples, which is on the Gulf in southwestern Florida, is a favorite destination for wealthier snowbirds and retirees thanks to its beaches, golf courses, and abundance of shopping and entertainment.

One big downside to the city is the high price tags for homes. The typical home was listed at $683,150 as of May 31, according to Zillow data. However, the median sale price was considerably lower at $589,750 as of April 30, according to Zillow.

To come up with its rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked 150 cities based on the happiness of residents, affordability, quality of health care, the desirability of the local area, taxes for retirees, and the local job market. The rankings also factored in how well these cities met the expectations of retirees.