Connecticut Struggles At 34th For Retirees In WalletHub Ranking

I'm 56 years old, and for the first time in my life I've just begun to think about my retirement. One thing that I'm finding even in my initial research is that retiring and staying in Connecticut may be too expensive. A new study has just come out that reinforces those findings.

According to Best States to Retire in 2026 from WalletHub.com, Connecticut has been ranked #34 out of all 50 states for retirees in 2026, and a few of our immediate neighbors did even worse. In order to determine which states across the US are better or worse for retirees, WalletHub.com compared all 50 across three key dimensions: Affordability, Quality of Life, and Healthcare.

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Thise dimensions were further evaluated using 46 relevant metrics: Adjusted Cost of Living, Retired-Taxpayer Friendliness, Cost of In-Home Services, Share of Population 65 or Older, Elderly-Friendly Labor Market, Elderly Food Insecurity Rate, Mildness of Weather, Violent Crime Rates, Dentist, Nurses, and Physicians per capita, Top-Rated Geriatrics Hospitals, and Life Expectancy.

Basically, WalletHub's research found that retirees in Connecticut pay more for healthcare than most of the country, but our quality of healthcare is better than most also. Connecticut is overall one of the safest states in the country overall, yet the tax burden drives retirees away. The best state in 2026 for retirees according to WalletHub is Wyoming, while the worst was Kentucky.

In the Northeast and Tri-State area, only New Hampshire made the Top 10 at #9, Maine was ranked #19, Massachusetts at #23, Vermont at #30, Connecticut at #4, New Jersey at #35. Near the bottom Rhode Island landed at #42, and New York at #45. Florida, you say? Ranked at #2.