WASHINGTON – If you don’t mind cold and dreary winters, five Pennsylvania cities are top-10 retirement destinations, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of 2022-2023 Best Places to Retire in the United States.

However, if balmy winter weather is a retirement must-have, there are also four Florida metro areas that made the top 10 list. The only other state to rank in the top 10 was No. 8, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The magazine says its list evaluated the country’s 150 most populous metropolitan areas based on how well they meet Americans’ expectations for retirement, with measures including housing affordability, healthcare, desirability and overall happiness.

In 2022, four new metros entered the top 10 ranking.

In earning three of the top five spots, Pennsylvania surpassed Florida in overall top 10 appearances. Lancaster, Pennsylvania, moved up four spots to the No. 1 rank due to its scores on healthcare for seniors, retiree tax rates and overall resident happiness. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, rose 11 positions to the No. 2 spot.

Pensacola, Florida, rose seven positions to No. 3; Tampa moved up two positions to No. 4; and York, Pennsylvania, saw the largest jump, rising 12 positions to No. 5.

“The drastic shift in the housing market, high inflation and concerns of a pending recession have retirees weighing housing affordability more heavily when considering where to retire,” says Emily Brandon, U.S. News senior editor for retirement. “Additionally, with COVID still a concern and access to good, affordable health care being of importance to retirees, Pennsylvania dominated the Best Places to Retire ranking’s top positions, taking five of the top 10 spots on the list.”

Florida remains a highly desired location for retirees overall, but the report’s emphasis on housing affordability, retiree taxes and overall happiness created some dramatic changes for some cities. For example, Fort Wayne, Indiana, rose 43 spots to No. 15, Youngstown, Ohio, moved up 38 positions to No. 21, and Toledo, Ohio rose 30 positions to No. 23.

“With fixed-rate mortgage rates more than doubling over the past year, it stands to reason that falling affordability would lead to changes in the rankings of the Best Places to Retire,” says Patrick S. Duffy, real estate economist. “As long as both rates and home prices are high, indexes related to things like happiness or health care quality, while important, will take a back seat to affordability.”

2022-2023 U.S. News best places to retire

1. Lancaster, Pennsylvania

2. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

3. Pensacola, Florida

4. Tampa, Florida

5. York, Pennsylvania

6. Naples, Florida

7. Daytona Beach, FL

8. Ann Arbor, Michigan

9. Allentown, Pennsylvania

10. Reading, Pennsylvania

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