Texas named one of the worst states for retirement, study says

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Thinking about retiring in the Lone Star State? A new study from Bankrate says you probably shouldn’t after listing Texas as the second-to-last worst state for retirement in 2025. 

Bankrate, a personal finance website, released on Monday, July 21, its findings of the best and worst states to retire in 2025. To determine ranking, Bankrate analyzed multiple data points and assigned a weight to each category, including: affordability (28%), weather (18%), neighborhood safety (17%), health care (16%), local taxes (9%), arts, entertainment and recreation (7%), people of a similar age (3%) and miscellaneous (2%).

In the ranking, Texas was ranked at No. 49, while Louisiana placed in last place. Texas did well in the taxes category, ranking seventh. However, the Lone Star State ranked dead last in health care and 49th in people of similar age, according to the study. Safety was also notably weak, as the state ranked 38th. 

Eight of the 10 worst states for retirees are in the Sun Belt, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Oklahoma, California, New Mexico and Texas.

On the other side, New Hampshire was named the best state for retirees, ranking well in neighborhood safety (1st), health care (5th), taxes (6th) and people of similar age (7th), according to the study. Four of the top 10 best states for retirees are in New England (Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont). 

Bankrate used metrics from the U.S. Census, the Council for Community and Economic Research, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and more. The researchers also surveyed 2,260 U.S. adults between May 14-16, 2025.