Housing News

These Are the 10 Best Places in the U.S. to Retire in 2026

December 2, 2025

Forget sunny Florida. If you’re thinking about where to spend your Golden Years, you may want to consider moving to the Midwest.

Midland, Mich., was named the best place in the U.S. to retire in 2026, according to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Places to Retire list.

The city of nearly 43,000 residents, less than half an hour west of the Saginaw Bay and about two hours northwest of Detroit, is more affordable than many other retiree destinations. Plus, Michigan will not tax retirement income in 2026.

Buyers can find homes in the Midland area for less than $300,000. Midland’s median home list price of $294,433 was about 27.5% less than the national average as of Oct. 31, according to Zillow data.

And there are plenty of fellow retirees. About a fifth of the population is over the age of 65.

“Whether seeking a bustling city or a quiet town, retirees are now empowered with a more precise view of the best places to settle down,” said Tim Smart in a statement. He is the author of the retirement newsletter from U.S. News.

Coming in second was Weirton, W Va., about 40 minutes west of Pittsburgh on the border of Pennsylvania. The city earned strong marks in the quality of life, happiness, affordability, and low taxes for retirees. The local median home list price was just $161,633, about 60.2% less than Zillow’s Oct. 31 national price tag.

Homosassa Springs, Fla., snagged the third spot in the rankings due to its affordability, low retiree taxes, quality of life, and increase in the number of residents age 55 and older. The typical home in the area was listed at $322,967 as of Oct. 31, according to Zillow data. That was about 20.4% less than the national median list price.

To come up with the rankings, U.S. News analyzed more than 850 cities and based its rankings on six factors. These included quality of life; value; healthcare quality; retiree taxes; the senior population and whether more seniors are moving in or out of the areas; and the local job market.

The factors were weighted based on a survey from March where 3,500 participants age 45 and older voted for the most important factors in choosing a place to live.