Where’s the best place to retire in California? New study narrows down top 10 spots
Looking for the best place to retire in California? Head to the Bay Area, according to SmartAsset.
Marin County is the No. 1 spot in the state for retirees, the personal finance website said in a new study, based on taxes, medical care and opportunities for recreation and social interaction.
San Luis Obispo County came in second place, and Placer County in the Sacramento area was third, SmartAsset said.
Here’s how Marin County landed in the top spot.
Why is Marin County the best place to retire in California?
Marin County came in first on SmartAsset’s list of the top 10 places to retire in California with an overall score of 61.34.
The Bay Area county, which is across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco and home to San Rafael, Novato and Mill Valley, has 2.04 medical centers per every 1,000 residents.
It also has 1.12 recreation centers per 1,000 people and 0.16 retirement communities per 1,000 people.
What’s more, seniors constitute 22.3% of Marin County’s population.
Marin County earned its top-tier ranking despite having a tax burden of 16.4%, the highest out of all the counties on SmartAsset’s top 10 list.
Northern California accounted for more than half of the California counties on the list.
Where are the top 10 places to retire in California?
These are the top 10 counties to retire in California, according to WalletHub:
- Marin County
- San Luis Obispo County
- Placer County
- Tuolumne County
- Nevada County
- Shasta County
- Amador County
- Orange County
- Ventura County
- El Dorado County
How did WalletHub come up with its rankings?
To determine the best places to retire in California, SmartAsset said it gathered data on three factors that affect retirees’ quality of life: tax-friendliness, medical care and social opportunities.
The site looked at state and local rates for income and sales taxes, and determined the number of doctors’ offices, recreation centers and retirement centers per 1,000 residents in each location.
SmartAsset also measured the number of seniors in each city as a percentage of the total population.
The areas with the highest average ranking were determined to be the best places to retire.
This story was originally published August 22, 2024 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Where’s the best place to retire in California? New study narrows down top 10 spots."
