If you follow the bouncing ball, you'll find yourself at the intersection of "What to Do Street" and "I Don't Know Avenue."

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I've been writing about the State of Connecticut for about 10 years and I've learned a lot in that time. I've learned its a complex place to live, that has startling highs and lows. When we're good at something in the Nutmeg State, we're right at the top, when we're not good, we're usually the worst.

If you read the many studies related to quality of life in Connecticut, you will find yourself confused at to whether you should remain here. Such is the case with two new studies I tripped over recently.

The first is called the Healthy Aging Index. The research for the index was conducted in 2022 and published early this year ('23) by a company called "Do Fasting." The final determinations are made by looking at the "5 pillars of healthy aging", which are:

  • Demographics
  • Economics
  • Behavioral aspects
  • Healthcare
  • Mental health

Those vague pillars are made up of more specific indicators,  use healthcare for example. To get a score for healthcare, the index weighs more specific factors like diabetes, water supply and healthcare availability, among many others. The research examined the 5 pillars, using their 25 indicators per pillar. In the end, it was decided that Utah was the healthiest place for aging in America. The Nutmeg State ranked #4 in the United States which sounds damn good to me.

That is the good news but there is bad news.

In the other study. Wallet Hub set out to find the best/worst places to retire in America. Wallet Hub looked at categories like:

  • Adjusted Cost of Living
  • Annual Cost of In-Home Services
  • Taxpayer Ranking
  • Percentage of Workforce 65+
  • Museums Per Capita
  • Crime Rate

There were more categories to examine but you get the idea. Just like in the Healthy Aging Index, Wallet Hub's categories had their own sub-metrics, that were totaled to come up with a final score. In the W.H. study, CT was ranked 35th for retirement in the nation.

So, what the hell are we supposed to do with that? You can age healthy here but you're not going to like it? It certainly sounds like a Connecticut Conundrum. Sure, you'll live a lot longer here but you'll probably wish you were dead.

One of the key findings of the Wallet Hub study will come as no surprise to you. In the category of Taxpayer Ranking, the Constitution State came in at #49 and in overall Affordability we were #46. We already knew but sometimes it is nice to be reminded.

Connecticut, great place to live forever, in misery.

What about our neighbors? Here are the New York Scores:

Aging Index: #10

Retirement Rank: #46

Want more CT News? If so, check out the Ethan, Lou & Large Dave Podcast. The show is available wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple and Spotify. The program is the same one we do on the radio but with limited commercials and no music. You can also listen live by streaming the show on the I-95 Rock Mobile app, or tune into I-95 (95.1FM).

Photo: Aurora Photography
Photo: Aurora Photography
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