Rising in the ranks from No. 3 in 2013 to No. 1 in 2014, South Dakota is topping the list of best states for retirement compiled annually by BankRate.
From cost of living to health care access and tax rates, the survey rates and ranks all 50 states. Topping the list at No. 1: South Dakota, followed by Colorado, Utah, North Dakota and Wyoming.
The rankings shifted slightly over 2013, when the top five states comprised Tennessee, Louisiana, South Dakota, Mississippi and Kentucky, in respective ranks from No. 1 to No. 5. Largely the top states skewed away from Southern states and more toward the plains and west.
BankRate examined and scored all 50 states across categories including well being, cost of living, health care quality, tax burden, property crime and violent crime instance, possible sunshine average and humidity.
South Dakota, the No. 1 state on the list, had a very low instance of crime, high score for health care and relatively low tax burden around 7%.
Among the states at the bottom of the list, New York ranked No. 50, followed by West Virginia, Alaska, Arkansas and Hawaii.
View the full rankings at BankRate.com.
Written by Elizabeth Ecker
