Retirement may mark the end of a career, but it’s also the start of a new chapter of adulthood. Ideally, as retirees, people have fewer responsibilities and more opportunities for fulfilling activities.

Most people have an idea of when they will retire. Where to retire, however, may be a more complex decision to make.

Iowa ranks as the ninth best state for a physically and socially active retirement.

States that have relatively large 65 and older populations are likely to also have plenty of retirement homes and communities. In Iowa, 17.5% of the population is 65 or older, the 17th highest share in the U.S.

Plenty of hours of full sun during the day, nice weather year-round, and plenty of recreational sites such as national parks can help support an active lifestyle. There is an average of 4 hours 5 minutes of peak sunlight a day in Iowa, the 12th lowest in the country. The National Parks Service manages a total of 2 parks, historic sites, and monuments in the state.

Volunteering can have a major impact on well-being, especially for older individuals. About 36.9% of Iowa residents 65 and older volunteer several times a year. This is the sixth highest share in the U.S., and compares to 28.0% of older adults nationwide.

To rank the best and worst states for people who want to stay active, both physically and socially, in retirement, 24/7 Tempo used data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We created an index of more than 20 measures of retirement-friendliness, representing four categories — environment, health-related factors, social support, and demographics. These are the best and worst states for retirees.

 

Rank	State	Share of population 65+	NPS sites	Average peak sun time per day	Adults who volunteer
1	Florida	20.9%	11	5 hours 10 minutes	20.3%
2	Maine	21.3%	4	3 hours 46 minutes	33.7%
3	Delaware	19.5%	1	4 hours 23 minutes	32.0%
4	West Virginia	20.5%	6	4 hours 4 minutes	31.0%
5	South Carolina	18.2%	7	4 hours 49 minutes	31.9%
6	Hawaii	19.0%	8	N/A	20.5%
7	South Dakota	17.4%	6	4 hours 12 minutes	36.8%
8	Montana	19.5%	8	4 hours 6 minutes	35.1%
9	Iowa	17.5%	2	4 hours 5 minutes	36.9%
10	Vermont	20.1%	2	3 hours 45 minutes	33.6%
11	Alabama	17.4%	9	4 hours 43 minutes	25.4%
12	Wyoming	17.1%	7	4 hours 31 minutes	32.6%
13	Arkansas	17.4%	7	4 hours 35 minutes	28.9%
14	Mississippi	16.4%	8	4 hours 44 minutes	20.2%
15	Pennsylvania	18.7%	19	3 hours 56 minutes	32.8%
16	Arizona	18.0%	22	5 hours 27 minutes	25.0%
17	Kansas	16.4%	5	4 hours 37 minutes	36.0%
18	New Mexico	18.0%	15	5 hours 20 minutes	30.5%
19	North Carolina	16.7%	10	4 hours 35 minutes	32.7%
20	Rhode Island	17.7%	2	4 hours 11 minutes	28.4%
21	Nebraska	16.1%	5	4 hours 23 minutes	35.5%
22	New Jersey	16.6%	9	4 hours 14 minutes	21.9%
23	Oklahoma	16.1%	3	4 hours 45 minutes	33.0%
24	Missouri	17.2%	6	4 hours 20 minutes	26.7%
25	New Hampshire	18.6%	2	3 hours 53 minutes	32.3%
26	Kentucky	16.9%	5	4 hours 14 minutes	18.9%
27	Tennessee	16.7%	12	4 hours 23 minutes	27.6%
28	North Dakota	15.8%	3	4 hours 2 minutes	38.7%
29	Oregon	18.2%	5	4 hours 29 minutes	36.5%
30	Ohio	17.5%	8	4 hours 3 minutes	30.3%
31	Connecticut	17.6%	2	4 hours 8 minutes	30.7%
32	Virginia	15.9%	22	4 hours 24 minutes	33.5%
33	Wisconsin	17.5%	2	3 hours 56 minutes	37.1%
34	Louisiana	16.0%	5	4 hours 53 minutes	22.0%
35	Massachusetts	17.0%	15	4 hours 6 minutes	30.1%
36	Maryland	15.9%	18	4 hours 17 minutes	38.2%
37	Minnesota	16.3%	5	3 hours 54 minutes	43.3%
38	Indiana	16.1%	3	4 hours 7 minutes	35.2%
39	Michigan	17.7%	5	3 hours 58 minutes	26.1%
40	Illinois	16.1%	2	4 hours 10 minutes	27.8%
41	California	14.8%	28	5 hours 21 minutes	23.3%
42	Georgia	14.3%	11	4 hours 48 minutes	19.7%
43	Colorado	14.7%	13	4 hours 50 minutes	31.7%
44	Nevada	16.2%	4	5 hours 1 minutes	24.1%
45	Washington	15.9%	15	4 hours 4 minutes	36.8%
46	New York	16.9%	24	3 hours 52 minutes	22.2%
47	Idaho	16.2%	7	4 hours 26 minutes	30.5%
48	Texas	12.9%	14	5 hours 6 minutes	27.5%
49	Alaska	12.4%	24	N/A	35.0%
50	Utah	11.4%	13	4 hours 52 minutes	44.6%

 

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