12 Best U.S. Cities for Retirement: 2020

(Related: 12 Best States for Retirement: 2020)

Six in 10 retirement-age Americans in a 2020 survey said they were at least somewhat confident that they would have enough money to retire comfortably, but only 24% said they were very confident, the Employee Benefit Research Institute reported in April. For some workers who can't look forward to a relaxing retirement, the only option is to remain on the job. In 2019, employed Americans surveyed by Gallup planned to retire at age 65, compared with age 60 in 1995. WalletHub, a personal finance website, suggests an alternative: relocating to a city where the dollar goes farther without sacrificing one's lifestyle. A city with good weather where retirees can enjoy safety and access to good health care — a key consideration in the coronavirus era — and find many ways to spend leisure time. To identify the best (and worst) cities for retirement friendliness, WalletHub compared 182 U.S. cities — including the 150 most populated ones, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across four dimensions: affordability, activities, quality of life and health care. Researchers evaluated those dimensions using 46 relevant metrics, grading each on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for retirement. Finally, they determined each city's weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the sample. Given that cost is a significant factor in retirement, the analysis assumed retirees would rely on a fixed income. WalletHub noted that the lower their expenses, the better retirees will fare in a particular city. See the gallery for WalletHub's 12 best cities for retirement in 2020. --- Related on ThinkAdvisor:

• 12 Worst States for Retirement: 2020
• 12 Best US Cities for Retirement: 2019
• 11 Best Small Towns for Retirement