Best states in which to retire - I'm staying in Iowa.

QUOTE from a Chinese Proverb: "Man fools himself. He prays for a long life, and he fears an old age."

Today I was doing some GOOGLING and ran across some interesting information about the best states in which to retire. I LEARNED what the Ten Best are and where Iowa ranks. The list was compiled by MoneyRates.com. The criteria they used to come up with such a list is as follows:

!. Cost of living.
2. Unemployment.
3. Average state and local tax burden.
4. Crime rate which  included  violent crime and property crime.
5. Climate.
6. Life expectancy.

According to MoneyRates.com the #1 state with the best numbers was NEW HAMPSHIRE.
Her numbers were: Cost of living is 89% of the national average; unemployment is at 5.8%; average state and local tax burden is 7.6%; Average monthly temps range from 18 degrees in January to 68 degrees in July; crime rate was 48th in the nation in violent crime and 48th in property crime; and life expectancy is 78.3 years.
Summary of NEW HAMPSHIRE: Her cost of living and tax burden are among the lowest in the nation. Crime is also low, and life expectancy high. Just bring plenty of sensible clothes. because climate was the one criteria on which she did not score well.

IOWA came in the 5th best state in which to retire.
Iowa's numbers were: Cost of living is 93% of the national average; unemployment is at 6.8%; average state and local tax burden is 9.3%; Average temps range from 18 degrees in January to 74 degrees in July; crime rate was 32nd in violent crime and 36th in property crime; and life expectancy was 78.3 years.
Summary of IOWA: Iowa represents the Midwest well, with a combination of a low cost of living, a healthy economy, and a high life expectancy. Bring your winter clothes, though.

They only gave statistical information for the Ten Best and Ten Worst. But I did get the list of all 50 states. Minnesota was ranked #18 and Arizona was ranked #26.

The Ten Best states for retirement as ranked by MoneyRates.com were:
1. New Hampshire    2. Hawaii    3. South Dakota    4. North Dakota    5. Iowa    6. Virginia    7. Utah
8. Connecticut           9. Vermont  10. Idaho

Tomorrow I'll look at the Ten Worst.


HUMOR for today: BENEFITS OF GETTING OLDER.
1. In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.
2. It's harder and harder for sexual harassments to stick.
3. People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.
4. There is nothing left to learn the hard way.
5. Things you buy now won't wear out.