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2w ago

Orlando Tops WalletHub’s 2026 List as Florida Dominates Best Places to Retire

Florida cities lead largely because low taxes, plentiful retiree amenities, strong health-care access plus active lifestyle options help retirees stretch savings

The Villages, Florida.
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FILE - Downtown Orlando, Florida skyline along Lake Eola March 29, 1999.(Photo by Brian Cleary)
An image collage containing 3 images, Image 1 shows Aerial view of the city center of Fontana, California, with residential houses, palm trees lining a street, and mountains in the background, Image 2 shows Aerial view of downtown Fresno, California, with the radio tower on top of the Pacific Southwest Building, Image 3 shows Daytime skyline view of downtown Bakersfield, California

Overview

  • WalletHub’s 2026 ranking compared more than 180 U.S. cities across measures of affordability, activities, quality of life and health care to identify best retirement destinations.
  • Orlando ranked first for the third straight year and the top three spots were all Florida cities, with Miami and Tampa following closely and Fort Lauderdale in the top 10.
  • Casper, Wyoming rose into the top five driven chiefly by a very high affordability score that offsets its colder, windier climate.
  • Several California cities landed near the bottom of the list, with Fresno among the weakest performers because of low scores on health care access and retiree activities plus high local costs.
  • WalletHub said tax policy, health-care availability, opportunities for paid work and the number of local activities are the main drivers of the rankings, which underscore widespread retiree financial uncertainty and many Americans’ expectation they will keep working in retirement.