Utah is the sixth-best state for retirees, survey says

Utah is the sixth-best state in which to retire, according to an analysis by personal finance website WalletHub.com.

The rankings were drawn from 46 “key indicators of retirement-friendliness” — from affordability to heath-related factors to overall quality of life. Utah didn’t rank at the top of any of the categories, but averaged out to sixth.

The best Utah did in an individual category was dentists per capita, finishing eighth. The Beehive State was 12th in WalletHub’s taxpayer ranking, 13th in life expectancy, 14th in quality of life; 16th in both affordability and healthcare; and 24th in annual cost of in-home services.

And the state’s average was pulled down by the relative lack of friends their own age for retirees. It ranked 49th in the percentage of its population ages 65 and older — which should come as no surprise given the state’s birthrate.

WalletHub’s 10 best state in which to retire are:

1. Florida

2. South Dakota

3. Colorado

4. New Hampshire

5. Virginia

6. Utah

7. Iowa

8. Wyoming

9. Pennsylvania

10. Minnesota

And WalletHub’s 10 worst state in which to retire are:

1. Kentucky

2. Rhode Island

3. West Virginia

4. Vermont

5. New Jersey

6. New Mexico

7. Arkansas

8. Mississippi

9. Louisiana 

10. Maryland