The Harrisburg skyline, from City Island
The Harrisburg metro is the top place for retirement in the nation, according to a report issued today.
On Tuesday, U.S. News & World Report issued its annual “Best Places to Retire” in the United States in 2024, ranking the Harrisburg area first among the country’s 150 most populous metropolitan areas.
“It’s great to see a national publication recognizing what we already know, living and working here everyday, that Harrisburg is one of the best places to live and retire in the country,” responded Ryan Unger, president and CEO of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC.
According to U.S. News, Harrisburg took the top spot based on metrics such as affordability and health care.
“While Harrisburg isn’t necessarily regarded as affluent, it has a more affordable housing market and a lower cost of living than many of the East Coast’s larger metro areas,” according to the report.
In all, U.S. News based its ranking on six factors: affordability, health care quality, happiness, desirability, job market ratings and retiree taxes. Affordability was weighted most heavily and, for 2024, was expanded to include the comparative cost of general goods, as opposed to just housing.
A screenshot from U.S. News & World Report, “Best Places to Retire”
Harrisburg moved up one spot from last year, when U.S. News ranked it No. 2 in the nation for retirement. The metro displaced Lancaster, which fell from No. 1 to No. 3 in the 2024 list. In all, Pennsylvania cities took seven of the top 10 positions.
The top 10 “Best Places to Retire” for 2024 are as follows:
- #1: Harrisburg
- #2: Reading
- #3: Lancaster
- #4: Scranton
- #5: Allentown
- #6: New York City
- #7: York, Pa.
- #8: Daytona Beach, Fla.
- #9: Youngstown, Ohio
- #10: Pittsburgh
“As retirees consider where to spend their golden years, they want areas that not only give them the best bang for their buck, but places where they can live a happy, healthy life,” said Beverly Harzog, a consumer finance analyst for U.S. News. “This is why Pennsylvania dominated the Best Places to Retire ranking’s top positions, taking seven of the top 10 spots on the list.”
Of the 150 largest metro areas, the lowest-ranked were Denver, San Juan, P.R., Albuquerque, N.M., Stockton, Calif., and San Jose, Calif. (lowest), respectively, according to U.S. News.
To determine these rankings, U.S. News stated that it employed its own proprietary surveys, in addition to data from governmental and non-governmental sources, such as the U.S. Census Bureau, the FEMA National Risk Index and the ShareCare Community Well-Being Index.
Earlier this year, U.S. News also ranked the Harrisburg area as the 38th “Best Place to Live” in the country, as well as the No. 1 place in Pennsylvania.
To read the complete story from U.S. News & World Report, visit their website.
Click here to read our January feature story that focused on Harrisburg as a retirement destination.
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