A new Bankrate study indicates the state home to Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, is the next best place to retire, followed by Utah, Idaho, New Hampshire, and Florida. While some might be shocked by the annual 45 degree temperature, the state of South Dakota has some good benefits for seniors. From free income tax to its high health care value, staffer Taylor Tepper explains why the state got the highest mark and how others fared behind it.
South Dakotans are very content with their lives. Gallup’s State of American Well-Being series enlists more than 2.5 million surveys to judge how people feel about five aspects of their lives: purpose (a reason to get up in the morning), social (loving and meaningful relationships), financial (lack of money stress), community (love where you live) and physical (good health). Residents of South Dakota scored the highest on the well-being score and have been in the top six since 2013.
Residents of South Dakota are also free from income taxes and live in the second most tax-friendly state in the country, according to the Tax Foundation, which offers relief for seniors living on a fixed income. The state also scored well on health care value and measured well on cultural vitality.
Outdoor lovers, of course, can ping-pong between the likes of Badlands National Park and Custer State Park. And, of course, there’s Mount Rushmore.
Check out the rest of the state-ranked list at Bankrate.
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