Florida and Arizona remain the most popular states for American retirees. But when it comes to living out your sunset years, California should not be discounted.
Sure, the big metropolitan areas can be prohibitive, especially because of high housing costs. Find the right city though, and you may be able to take advantage of California’s great climate and healthcare services at an affordable cost.
Just ask the number crunchers at WalletHub.com. They recently compiled a list of the best and worst California cities for retirees. They scored locales on key metrics like quality of life (e.g. economy, crime, and air quality), healthcare, and activities.
The 10 best cities for retirees were:
1. Los Gatos
2. Los Altos
3. San Ramon
4. Walnut Creek
5. Saratoga
6. Novato
7. Danville
8. Palo Alto
9. Oakley
10. Yorba linda
The 10 worst were:
260. Modesto
259. San Bernardino
258. Stockton
257. Montclair
256. Bakersfield
255. Hanford
254. Turlock
253. Ceres
252. Merced
251. Tulare
San Jose and El Centro have the highest and lowest adjusted costs of living respectively. Palm Desert has the highest percentage of residents aged 65 or over and Bakersfield has the highest percentage of workers aged 65 or over. Lake Elsinore has the fewest healthcare facilities per capita, San Jose has the most family physicians per capita, and Rancho Santa Margarita has the lowest crime rate per capita.
See full list and methodology here.
Data and list were compiled by WalletHub.com and do not reflect statistics on all California cities.