If you’ve never been to New York State, it might be time to check it out. As one of the major cultural epicenters of the world, New York — the city, more specifically — has it all: world-famous museums, Michelin-star restaurants, Broadway, and it’s currently home to the best pizza on the planet, Una Pizza Napoletana. When you’re done seeing the sights and eating the delicious food, heading upstate or out to the Hamptons is the best way to unwind and relax in a state that’s truly beautiful from top to bottom. But as much as New York State has a lot to offer, when it comes to considering where to retire, the Empire State is the last place that should cross your mind as an option; actually, the second to last state.
According to Bankrate’s 2024 Best States to Retire Study, New York came in 49th place, with only Alaska being worse than New York. While New York City may be home to some of the highest paid jobs in the country, when people reach retirement age and income is no longer part of the equation, it’s best to just flee and head to nearby Delaware, which won the top destination spot for retirees. It’s also worth noting that the life expectancy in New York State is only 77.7 years, while states like Hawaii are at 80.7.
So, if living a long, healthy, relatively stress-free life is what you want for yourself down the road, it’s best if you eliminate New York state from your retirement plans. After all, you can always visit.
Why New York state’s life expectancy is lower than the national average
According to the Center for Disease Control, the average life expectancy for someone living in the U.S. is 77.5, with men averaging about 74.8 years and women averaging 80.2 years of age. While New York State’s life expectancy of 77.7 years is far better than some of the southern states like Mississippi and Alabama, considering its affluence, one would think it would be higher.
One of the big reasons for this number is the fact that 43% of the entire state’s population is in New York City, and the city hasn’t had the best time over the past four years. “While we are pleased that New Yorkers’ lifespans have begun to recover from the unprecedented decline in 2020, we still have much have [sic] work to do to ensure that all New Yorkers live healthier, longer lives,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan (via NYC Health). “New Yorkers continue to lose life years and quality of life due to diabetes, heart disease, overdose, suicide, and a range of other issues that can be prevented.” There’s currently a strategy in place to remedy this situation and get the life expectancy up to 83 by 2030, which is bold to say the least.
Why retiring in New York isn’t a good idea
When deciding what states were the best to retire in, Bankrate weighed a number of factors that led to rankings and resulted in the overall score. Interestingly, despite being 49th on the list, New York State ranked fourth for well-being, which accounted for 25% of the final decision. The reason for this was based on how many adults over 62 years of age, per 100,000 residents, are alive and flourishing in NYS. But that’s pretty much where the good things ended.
To match the overall score of 49th place, New York State is also 49th in affordability. When it comes to quality and cost of health care, something that every retiree should seriously take into consideration, NYS came in at 32nd on the list. New York State’s weather is fairly dismal, as anyone in the Buffalo area will agree to, so that ranking was 37th, and as far as crime goes — both violent and property — the state came in at 33 out of 50. Although it’s important to point out that murder rates, at least in the city, are on the decline, while other crimes are seeing an increase.
Ultimately, there is no perfect state to retire in, and life expectancy averages can only play so much of a role in how and where you choose to retire. The best thing you can do for yourself is do your research, then make decisions on what feels like the right move for you.