2026 Retirement City Ranking: 6 California Cities Ranked in the Top 10 Countdown in the United States
WalletHub has released the ranking of retirement cities for 2026. California has 6 cities on the list of worst retirement cities, more than any other state. This ranking places great emphasis on the cost of living, medical resources, and quality of life after retirement.
WalletHub also announced the "Best and Worst Retirement Places of 2026". It compared 182 cities using 45 indicators to see if these cities are friendly to retired people. Mainly divided into four categories: affordability, activity, quality of life, and medical care. The things compared include living costs, taxes, home care fees, medical resources, crime rates, public transportation, leisure facilities, and the proportion of people over 65 years old.
Data shows that the city of Kukamonga Ranch ranks 178th out of 182 cities. Its quality of life ranking is relatively high, comparable to affordability and activities, but other items have lowered the overall score. California also has 5 cities in the bottom ten: Fantana 173rd, Bakersfield 177th, Fresno 179th, San Bernardino 181st, and Sutton 182nd. Sutton is the last city in the United States.
The ranking also shows that a city ranked lower overall does not mean that all retirement conditions are poor. For example, Bakersfield's "mild climate" ranks third in the United States, only behind Glendale and Riverside in Southern California.
Other cities familiar to Chinese also have significant differences in rankings. San Francisco ranks 21st, San Diego ranks 32nd, Los Angeles ranks 39th, and Irvine ranks 69th. Irvine ranks fifth in the United States in terms of the proportion of employed population aged 65 and above. The biggest advantage of Los Angeles is its "activities", ranking 15th in the United States. It can be seen that each city has its own strengths in different retirement conditions.
The first place is Orlando, Florida, with a total score of 63.38. WalletHub ranks it second in affordability, 17th in activities, 77th in quality of life, and 11th in healthcare. The report states that Orlando ranks first because of its low tax burden. Florida does not have a state personal income tax, inheritance tax, or inheritance tax, which is advantageous for retirees who are very concerned about taxes and expenses. The top three best retirement cities this time are all from Florida, followed by Miami and Tampa.
