These 4 Florida cities rank among nation's best places to retire. Why they're special
If you're dreaming of retirement, you may find your ideal place to settle down in Florida.
That's because the state is home to four of the nation's best cities for retirees to call home, new rankings show. Here are the places that made it onto the list:
Clearwater at No. 2St. Petersburg at No. 4Cape Coral at No. 5Fort Lauderdale at No. 8
The list comes from Niche, a website that posts ratings and reviews for neighborhoods, schools and companies. To determine the top retirement destinations across the country, it studied data from the U.S. government and other sources, according to results published Monday, March 24.
Niche scored each place across multiple categories, including population trends, costs of living, winter temperatures, safety and access to entertainment options. For this list, the website focused on 230 cities, defined as places with at least 100,000 residents, public relations manager Zach Chatham told McClatchy News via email.
What makes the Florida retirement destinations special?
When it came to the highest-ranked places for older adults, Florida had more cities in the top 10 than any other state.
'Our Best Places to Retire rankings takes into account key factors such as weather, crime rates, residents 65 and older, housing costs, and access to amenities such as restaurants, golf courses, exercise facilities, and doctors, and those areas in Florida score very highly across those categories,' Chatham wrote.
The top-ranking Florida city was Clearwater, in the Tampa Bay area. On its Niche page, the city received 'A' grades for its outdoor activities, nightlife, weather and diversity. But it didn't fare as well when it came to safety and housing, earning 'C' grades in those categories.
'Living in Clearwater offers residents an urban suburban mix feel and most residents own their homes,' Niche wrote. 'In Clearwater there are a lot of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and parks. Many young professionals and retirees live in Clearwater and residents tend to have moderate political views.'
Also landing a spot on the list was nearby St. Petersburg, which received similar nods for its amenities and 'urban suburban' flair.
Rounding out the Florida cities in the rankings were Cape Coral — a roughly 130-mile drive south from Tampa — and the Atlantic Coast destination of Fort Lauderdale.
Nationwide, the top-ranked retirement spot was Scottsdale, Arizona, just outside of Phoenix. The only other non-Florida city to land in the top five was Metairie, Louisiana, in the New Orleans area.
The retirement list was part of Niche's 'Best Places to Live in America' rankings, which also determined the nation's healthiest places and the top locations to buy homes. The results were divided into different areas, such as cities, towns, suburbs and neighborhoods, results show.
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NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Aleksander Barkov #16 of the Florida Panthers hold the Stanley Cup after Florida's 2-1 victory against the Edmonton Oilers in Game Seven of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on June 24, 2024 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by) Speaking of the Stanley Cup, Fort Lauderdale has also unexpectedly become an NHL hockey hotbed. The Florida Panthers, whose home ice is based in nearby Sunrise, Florida just west of downtown, are the reining NHL Champions and have made three straight Stanley Cup playoff runs, generating more than $100 million in economic impact across the region. The Panthers also hosted the NHL All-Star Game in 2023 and will welcome the iconic Winter Classic in 2026. Meanwhile, Fort Lauderdale's commercial office sector is defying the headwinds that are collapsing it in almost every other American city, including the recent sale of two office towers on Las Olas Boulevard for $400 million. 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We've become a magnet for financial firms, tech start-ups, and luxury real estate developers, and, at the same time, attracted hip, young families and creative types with great housing, a good business base, and a nightlife scene of arts, restaurants and entertainment that is second to none. Fort Lauderdale is finally being seen across the nation and the world for the incredible future that lies before us, not our past.' Fort Lauderdale's skyline will never look the same ... Ultimately, real estate stories worth writing are rarely just about glass and steel or green roofs. At their best, they're about the loftiest of human emotions — like hope, courage, and belief. In this way, what's happening in Fort Lauderdale right now reflects a collective confidence about the future that people here haven't felt for decades. The city's new developments are bold and visionary, but they're also smart and forward thinking. The new skyline isn't just about height. It's about identity. 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