Top 10 States Where Americans Are Moving for Retirement

Warm weather remains an attraction for older Americans — 6 of the top 10 states for retirement-driven moves are in the Sun Belt. But that region is also more prone to natural disasters and extreme weather. Ben Collier, a professor at Temple University who studies climate and home insurance, says that factor could be diverting some retirees to other parts of the country.

Homeowners insurance rates “are going up in California. They’re going up in Florida. Especially in higher-risk areas, these costs are becoming really substantial for people,” Collier says. “It makes sense that if you’re thinking about where to live and you’re on a fixed income, insurance costs are an important source of uncertainty.”

According to financial data firm Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), property insurance rates average $6,225 a year in Miami, $3,675 in Houston and $3,602 in Tampa, compared to a national average of $2,290. 

Some homebuyers are taking a risk on higher deductibles, a March 2025 ICE report found. But “even for people who have insurance, the idea of living through a major disaster is really daunting,” Collier says. “It would be so disruptive to your life. Some retired folks would just prefer to avoid if they could.”

Anne Meczywor, an agent at Roberts & Associates Realty in the western Massachusetts town of Lenox, got a taste of that sentiment last year. “We were getting quite a few calls from California when the fires were really prevalent,” she says.

‘You get what you pay for’

Massachusetts does have some things working against it, including the nation’s second-highest cost of living, according to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center, and a reputation for high taxes that led it to be dubbed “Taxachusetts” in the 1970s.

However, a 2024 WalletHub analysis puts the Bay State in the middle of the pack for state tax burden (20th), with relatively high income and property taxes but low sales and excise taxes. And U.S. News and World Report ranks it second among the states for health care, behind only Hawaii.

Marquit says Hire A Helper has found in past research that people moving for retirement tend to be more affluent than the average American. The median household income for retirees who relocated in 2023 was $88,347, 17 percent above the national figure.

“They are retiring a little more well-off, and they’re able to move to more expensive places such as Massachusetts,” Marquit says. “They can afford to be picky and say, ‘This is the lifestyle I want and, yes, I’m willing to pay a little more for it.’ ”

Chaklos is taking the good with the bad. She recently received what she called a “giant” and “annoying” excise tax bill for her new car. (Massachusetts is one of 27 states that charges a motor vehicle excise tax.) But “if you look at the whole picture,” she adds, “you get what you pay for.”

Vacationers return

For others making a move to Massachusetts, familiarity from past travel is a big factor, according to local real estate pros. They say people who visited Cape Cod or the Berkshires in their working years often choose to resettle there rather than traditional retirement destinations such as Florida or Arizona.

“We live in this beautiful, idyllic place. We have beaches. There’s a laid-back vibe,” says Sarah Lapsley-Martin, an agent with Greer Real Estate on Cape Cod. “A lot of people have come here for vacation, and a lot of the people we sell houses to will say, ‘I’ve always dreamed of coming back here to retire.’ ”

Many visitors to Cape Cod already have second homes there, says Paul Niedzwiecki, CEO of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce. “They create memories, and then they retire here,” he says.

Like Chaklos, many among this generation of retirees enjoy the four seasons and the state’s diverse landscape, says Meczywor, who serves as vice president for the Berkshires of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors.

“They like having oceans and mountains. Older Americans are so much more active than they were, and they like that we’re right in the middle of all of that,” she says.

One thing Chaklos does wish she’d been better prepared for is what she calls "New England stoicism."

“It took my neighbors seeing me on the block five or six times before they would even acknowledge my presence,” she says. She has since helped organize an annual neighborhood party. “They warm to you eventually,” she adds.

That’s not to say residents will likely rejoice at the news that their state has become a retirement destination, Niedzwiecki says. They’ll probably complain about it.

“That’s what we do,” he says.