PROVIDENCE – The capital city metro area, including Warwick and New Bedford, rose to 44th on U.S. News and World Report’s 2023-2024 list of best places to retire released Tuesday.
The report ranked the 150 most populated metro areas in the U.S., including Puerto Rico. Rankings were based on scores calculated for each metro area on how well they met Americans’ expectations for retirement, including housing affordability and health care.
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The Providence metro area had an overall rating of 6.2 out of 10, scoring 5.6 for housing affordability and 8.1 for health care. Its ranking is a slight improvement from last year, when it ranked 47th on the annual list.
This report touts the Rhode Island capital as “a culturally diverse metro area home to young professionals and artists, characterized by a quaint New England vibe.”
“The city has a budding economy fueled by the health care, education, tourism and financial sectors,” the report stated. “Over the past several decades, Providence has undergone a dramatic facelift following a period of industrial decline. Providence’s renaissance is now evident throughout the metro area, from the carefully restored urban landscape of downtown to the hip coffee shops and thriving community gardens of the trendy West End … Close-knit communities in the metro area’s various neighborhoods – whether it’s the artsy 20- and 30-somethings of the West Side, the families of the East Side or the students on College Hill – are just some of many reasons folks find it easy to call Providence home.”
Pennsylvania dominated the top five in this year’s list, securing seven placements in the top 10. Harrisburg, Pa. was ranked the best metro area in the U.S. to retire, according to the report. That city scored 7.1 out of 10 overall, including 6.8 for housing affordability and 7.9 for health care. Fellow Pennsylvania cities Reading, Lancaster, Scranton and Allentown rounded the top five.
San Jose, Calif., was ranked the worst place to retire in the U.S. for the second straight year. The metro area that includes the northern California city posted an overall score of 5.5 with a 1.2 score for housing affordability and 5.5 for health care. Stockton, Calif., Albuquerque, N.M., San Juan, P.R., Denver, Co., and Vallejo and Fairfield, Calif., rounded out the bottom five.
Manchester, N.H., was listed as the top metro area to retire in New England at 15. Worcester, Mass., was second at 35, followed by Springfield, Mass., at 39, Portland, Maine, at 42, New Haven, Conn. at 43, Providence at 44, Hartford, Conn., at 56, and Boston, Mass., at 62.
The full ranking can be found here.
