https://www.sinovision.net/society/202407/00546466.htm
https://www.bankrate.com/retirement/best-and-worst-states-for-retirement/
美國中文網報道 根據一項最新排名，美國最適合退休的州也是最小的州之一。
被稱為“第一州”的特拉華州在可負擔能力、高質量醫療健保、整體福祉和其他類別方麵得分很高，在Bankrate的美國最宜退休州年度排名中名列榜首。2023年，該州排名第二，僅次於愛荷華州。
Bankrate分析師蓋利（Alex Gailey）在接受CBS新聞采訪時表示:“雖然你可能不認為特拉華州是一個典型的退休天堂，但它對退休人員來說有很多強有力的賣點。”
Bankrate根據五個關鍵指標對各州進行了排名，包括可負擔能力、整體福祉、醫療健保、天氣和犯罪率。鑒於可負擔性對大多數退休人員的重要性，它較其他類別所占權重更大，占每個州總分的40%.剩餘類別中，福祉占25%，高質量醫療健保占20%，天氣占10%，犯罪占5%.
蓋利說：“由於可負擔能力的指標，特拉華州從第二名上升到第一名。隨著生活成本的不斷上漲，最能反映經濟狀況的它所占權重最大。”
事實上，自2019年以來，食品價格大幅上漲，美國人在食品上的支出占收入的比例達到了30年來的最高水平。根據CoreLogic 6月份的一份分析報告，房價從2023年4月到2024年4月上漲了5.3%.最新的通脹數據則顯示，6月份汽車保險價格同比上漲了19.5%.
美國人還表示，他們的退休儲蓄遠遠不夠。保德信金融(Prudential Financial)的《2024年美國退休人員脈搏調查》(2024 Pulse of the American retirement Survey)發現，55歲的員工中，隻有五分之一的人有44.7萬元或更多的退休儲蓄。另一項關於X世代退休準備的研究發現，一半的受訪者表示，他們需要一個“奇跡”才能退休。
雖然特拉華州的生活成本高於全國平均水平，但該州在其他負擔能力指標上得分很高。例如，它沒有州或地方銷售稅，居民不必為社會保障福利繳納所得稅。
該州的族裔和民族多樣性以及62歲及以上居民的高比例也幫助它躋身Bankrate榜單的第一位。該州還為居民提供高質量的醫療健保——這是許多退休人員考慮的一個關鍵因素。
蓋利指出：“獲得高質量的醫療健保對退休非常重要，因為這是最大的支出之一。”
由於消費水平低廉，西維吉尼亞、喬治亞、南卡和密蘇裏都躋身榜單前五。
這份榜單同樣列出了最不宜退休的州，阿拉斯加排名墊底。蓋利說，該州排名較低的原因是幾乎所有指標的得分都很低。
值得注意的是，紐約州排在倒數第二，華盛頓州倒數第三，加州則位列倒數第四，這些州都因生活成本過高而被視為最不宜退休。
蓋利表示：“這些州的共同點是，它們的生活成本都很高。退休後，你有固定的收入，看到你的退休儲蓄減少，會讓你感到不安和壓力。”
Best and worst states to retire in 2024
Bankrate’s annual Best and Worst States to Retire Study found that Delaware is the best state for retirees in 2024, followed by West Virginia (2), Georgia (3), South Carolina (4) and Missouri (5).
Delaware moved from second to first place this year, and Iowa — our No. 1 state last year — dropped to ninth place. Iowa lost ground mainly due to lower scores in the affordability category, which makes up 40 percent of the ranking. The cost of living, property taxes and homeowners insurance have all risen in Iowa since last year.
??In our overall ranking, the best and worst states for retirees are split geographically. The Midwest and the South claim the top five states, while the Northeast and West claim the bottom five states for a second year in a row, primarily because of the differences in cost of living.
Best and worst states to retire in 2024
| Top 5 | Bottom 5 |
|---|---|
| 1. Delaware | 50. Alaska |
| 2. West Virginia | 49. New York |
| 3. Georgia | 48. Washington |
| 4. South Carolina | 47. California |
| 5. Missouri | 46. North Dakota |
Top 5 states for retirees in 2024
Delaware landed in the top spot for the best state to retire in this year. The First State isn’t typically thought of as a retirement haven, but it has many strong selling points for retirees.
Delaware is a tax-friendly state for retirees. It doesn’t have state or local sales tax, and it doesn’t tax Social Security benefits. It also has lower property taxes relative to the rest of the country, averaging roughly $1,939 annually, according to ATTOM data. The state ranks well for racial and ethnic diversity, arts and entertainment establishments per 100,000 residents and overall well-being. Compared to its population, it also has a high share of residents who are 62 and older. Earthquakes, tornados, and hurricanes are also rare, and the climate is temperate. The state’s weaker spots are its cost of living, crime, and cost of health care.
While Delaware is a pricier state to live in, it scores well in all other affordability metrics we considered in the ranking: property taxes, combined state and local sales tax and homeowners insurance. The remaining top five best states to retire are:
2. West Virginia: This small state boasts the best affordability in the nation, based on a low cost of living, low property taxes and affordable homeowners insurance. The state fell in the middle of the pack for wellness. However, it scored the worst of all the states in the quality and cost of health care category due to high health care costs, poor health system performance and fewer health care establishments per 100,000 residents in the state.
3. Georgia: The Peach State has become significantly more affordable since last year, pushing it up from 15th place to third place on our ranking. That’s primarily because Georgia’s cost of living in Georgia has come down significantly, and average homeowners insurance premiums have dropped slightly. The quality and cost of health care in Georgia improved slightly, but overall well-being and crime scores remained poor this year.
4. South Carolina: South Carolina is another Sun Belt surprise that scored higher on affordability this year compared to 2023, pushing it up from 19th place to fourth place in our ranking. It scored well in the weather category and fell in the middle of pack for overall well-being and quality and cost of health care. However, it suffered in one key category: crime.
5. Missouri: Fifth-place Missouri shines for affordability, ranking well for cost of living and property taxes. Affordability carries a 40 percent weight in the ranking, which is why we see Missouri ranked high on our list. However, this state struggles with its quality of health care, overall well-being, crime and natural disasters.
Bottom 5 states for retirees in 2024
Several pricey Western and Northeastern states landed in the bottom five this year. Alaska held last place has been ranked the worst for the second consecutive year. The state was dragged down by back-of-the-pack scores in affordability, quality and cost of health care, weather and crime. The remaining four worst states for retirement were:
- New York (49)
- Washington (48)
- California (47)
- North Dakota (46)
