Senior status
Dallas-Fort Worth works its way up to top spot in Texas for retirees
Retirees still flock to sunny Florida, yet Texas is gaining ground as a desirable destination for retirement. In a new analysis from U.S. News & World Report magazine, Dallas-Fort Worth ranks 10th in the United States and first in Texas among the best places for retirees in 2020.
Austin appears right behind DFW, at No. 11, with Houston at No. 29 and San Antonio at No. 39.
To identify the best places to retire, U.S. News analyzed data for the country’s 125 largest metro areas to gauge how well they meet Americans’ retirement needs and expectations. Top criteria include housing affordability and healthcare quality.
Overall, DFW earned a score of 7 out of 10, posting a 6.3 for healthcare quality and a 6.2 for housing affordability.
“Offering both big-city excitement and quiet, suburban living, the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area offers an interesting mix of Texas pride and cosmopolitan offerings,” U.S. News observes. “The cowboy life still exists in Fort Worth, while Dallasites love the trendy local bars and numerous retail shops. And no matter which part of the Metroplex they call home, sports fans rally … behind their professional sports teams.”
Austin also earned an overall score of 7 out of 10. However, it didn’t fare as well in the healthcare quality (5.8) and housing affordability (5.7) categories as DFW did.
“People are drawn to the Texas capital’s music, outdoor spaces, and cultural institutions,” U.S. News notes.
Houston received an overall score of 6.8, with scores of 6.3 for both housing affordability and healthcare quality. San Antonio, too, earned an overall score of 6.8; it notched a high score for housing affordability (6.8) but a low score for healthcare quality (5.5).
No. 1 in the U.S. was Fort Myers, Florida, followed by Sarasota, Florida; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Asheville, North Carolina; and Port St. Lucie, Florida.