The ideal place to spend one’s sunset years is a highly subjective matter, but according to recently analyzed data by the personal finance website GOBankingRates, there’s a clear winner.
According to the site’s findings, the most optimal spot for the middle class to spend retirement in the U.S. is Florida’s famed 55-and-up community, The Villages, located northwest of Orlando, followed by Arizona’s Green Valley City in second and the state’s Sun City West in third.
Rounding out the top five are Arkansas’ Hot Springs Village and Venice, Florida, south of Sarasota.
GOBankingRates looked at American cities with at least 10,000 residents, a quarter of whom are 65 and over, and then determined the areas’ average Social Security benefits, total annual cost of living, average home value and household median income, among other factors.
Of the 30 metros the report named as the best to retirement spots for middle-class Americans, three states stood out as having the most ranked towns: Florida (11 ranked towns), Arizona (five) and Ohio (four).
“Florida is long established as a destination for retirees,” GOBankingRates’ media outreach manager Ray Marek told CNBC of the findings. “The middle class has always flocked to Florida because of its affordability.”
The price of living in the Sunshine State has gone up in recent years, but it remains favored as a place to retire by those seeking both relative affordability and a high quality of life, Marek added.
In terms of the cheapest retirement destination on the list, however, Greenville, Ohio, takes the cake.
The approximately 12,000-person city — which came in 27th place overall — has an annual cost of living of just $30,173 and a median household income of $45,746.
While Greenville may be very budget-friendly, Sun City West offers the highest percentage of residents age 65 and older — with a whopping 86.5% of the town currently in their golden years.