This Midwest City Was Just Named the Best Place to Retire in the U.S. for Affordability, Quality of Life, and Outdoor Access

"Deciding where you want to retire is a big decision. For some, the choice is straightforward-they'll keep their roots planted where they are. Others may want to embark on a new adventure, preferably one with a solid quality of life and a decent financial value. If you're someone who falls into the latter category, and you haven't yet decided where you want to move, this might make things a bit easier."

"U.S. News & World Report recently released its annual Best Places to Retire rankings, and a Midwestern city came out on top. Midland, Michigan, population 42,740, took the No. 1 spot, followed by Weirton, West Virginia, and Homosassa Springs, Florida. Located about an hour and a half north of Lansing, the state's capital, Midland is particularly notable for its affordability."

"The data was then bucketed into six indexes-tax rates, quality of life, senior population/migration trends, quality of health care, job market, and overall value-which were weighted based on responses from a March 2025 public survey. The survey asked 3,500 Americans to decide on the most important factors that should be considered in retirement. To create the final list, each destination was given an overall retirement score (a weighted average of the indexes) on a 10-point scale."

Midland, Michigan earned the top spot among U.S. retirement destinations, notable for affordability and a moderate overall retirement score of 6.8. Median home value in Midland is $206,142 and median rent is about $790 per month, both well below national averages; median household income is just over $76,000. Rankings used data from more than 850 cities divided into six indexes: tax rates, quality of life, senior population/migration trends, quality of health care, job market, and overall value. Indexes were weighted using a March 2025 public survey of 3,500 Americans to produce a 10-point overall retirement score for each destination. Despite the retirement-friendly ranking, Midland's population skews younger.

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