Best cities for an active retirement

While staring into the void of an inbox full of emails or a desk full of reports, it can be exciting to imagine that moment, years from now, when you can just veg out at home and watch Maury. But today's retirees just ain't like the ones we used to know. Today, 65 is the new 55, which means 75 is the new 65, and 85 is like 72, tops. That also means picking a city to be active in your retirement is more important than ever. Is it affordable? Is it walkable? How's the mahjong scene? Does it have water-aerobics weather?

The personal finance company SmartAsset provided data to help us rank the Top 50 Cities for an Active Retirement. In order to get the Stacker score, we considered the size of the senior population, the tax rate, the walkability score, the number of retirement communities, medical centers, and, of course, golf courses per resident. There's always time to watch The Young and the Restless, but these are the best cities in America for retirees to act young and restless themselves.

Jeffreymendel//Wikicommons

1 / 50

#50. Walnut Creek, CA

Index: 78.55
Seniors as Percent of Population: 27.5%
Tax Rate: 17.6%
Walk Score: 38
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.42
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 2.42
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 4.36

Dwight Burdette//Wikicommons

2 / 50

#49. Livonia, MI

Index: 78.84
Seniors as Percent of Population: 18.1%
Tax Rate: 15.5%
Walk Score: 34
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.13
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 3.1
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 2.5

Christopher Seliga//Wikicommons

3 / 50

#48. Scranton, PA

Index: 78.96
Seniors as Percent of Population: 16.8%
Tax Rate: 15.9%
Walk Score: 58
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.14
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 1.69
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 1.96

FightingRaven531//Wikicommons

4 / 50

#47. Tampa, FL

Index: 79.08
Seniors as Percent of Population: 11.5%
Tax Rate: 15.6%
Walk Score: 49
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.2
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 2.61
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 3.91

Thisisbossi//Wikicommons

5 / 50

#46. Frederick, MD

Index: 79.16
Seniors as Percent of Population: 11.6%
Tax Rate: 16.%
Walk Score: 44
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.12
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 2.5
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 3.29

A. Balet//Wikicommons

6 / 50

#45. Yakima, WA

Index: 79.25
Seniors as Percent of Population: 13.9%
Tax Rate: 16.6%
Walk Score: 50
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.28
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 2.37
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 1.65

Ynsalh//Wikicommons

7 / 50

#44. Cincinnati, OH

Index: 79.62
Seniors as Percent of Population: 11.4%
Tax Rate: 16.9%
Walk Score: 50
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.13
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 3.4
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 3.17

Leonard J. DeFrancisci//Wikicommons

8 / 50

#42 (tie). Melbourne, FL

Index: 79.71
Seniors as Percent of Population: 21.9%
Tax Rate: 15.1%
Walk Score: 29
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.27
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 2.37
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 4.41

Dwight Burdette//Wikicommons

9 / 50

#42 (tie). Ann Arbor, MI

Index: 79.71
Seniors as Percent of Population: 10.8%
Tax Rate: 15.5%
Walk Score: 50
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.06
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 4.98
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 1.81

AlexiusHoratius//Wikicommons

10 / 50

#41. Nashua, NH

Index: 79.91
Seniors as Percent of Population: 13.2%
Tax Rate: 9.9%
Walk Score: 37
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.15
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 2.3
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 1.86

Steve Morgan//Wikicommons

11 / 50

#40. Gresham, OR

Index: 80.64
Seniors as Percent of Population: 12.%
Tax Rate: 13.4%
Walk Score: 44
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.34
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 3.84
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 0.92

Bobak Ha'Eri//Wikicommons

12 / 50

#39. Pasadena, CA

Index: 80.72
Seniors as Percent of Population: 14.9%
Tax Rate: 18.1%
Walk Score: 66
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.2
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 2.41
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 4.52

MARELBU//Wikicommons

13 / 50

#38. Chico, CA

Index: 80.92
Seniors as Percent of Population: 11.7%
Tax Rate: 16.7%
Walk Score: 45
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.11
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 3.77
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 2.36

Mxobe//Wikicommons

14 / 50

#37. Kalamazoo, MI

Index: 81.16
Seniors as Percent of Population: 9.4%
Tax Rate: 15.5%
Walk Score: 43
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.23
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 3.76
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 1.93

Ebyabe//Wikicommons

15 / 50

#36. Hialeah, FL

Index: 81.18
Seniors as Percent of Population: 19.4%
Tax Rate: 15.6%
Walk Score: 69
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.2
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 0.86
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 2.33

Frantik//Wikicommons

16 / 50

#35. Camarillo, CA

Index: 81.56
Seniors as Percent of Population: 18.8%
Tax Rate: 16.7%
Walk Score: 41
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.24
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 6.44
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 2.24

Ebyabe//Wikicommons

17 / 50

#34. Hollywood, FL

Index: 81.82
Seniors as Percent of Population: 15.8%
Tax Rate: 14.7%
Walk Score: 54
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.2
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 1.33
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 5.29

Jsayre64//Wikicommons

18 / 50

#33. Eugene, OR

Index: 82.02
Seniors as Percent of Population: 14.%
Tax Rate: 13.4%
Walk Score: 44
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.34
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 2.06
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 2.16

Smallbones//Wikicommons

19 / 50

#32. Reading, PA

Index: 82.57
Seniors as Percent of Population: 9.5%
Tax Rate: 15.9%
Walk Score: 74
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.2
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 1.89
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 2.54

Dehk//Wikicommons

20 / 50

#31. Santa Monica, CA

Index: 82.66
Seniors as Percent of Population: 16.1%
Tax Rate: 18.5%
Walk Score: 82
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.12
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 2.17
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 6.64

Ron Reiring//Wikicommons

21 / 50

#30. Billings, MT

Index: 82.72
Seniors as Percent of Population: 15.2%
Tax Rate: 13.4%
Walk Score: 35
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.17
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 5.43
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 1.62

Philipp Michel Reichold//Wikicommons

22 / 50

#29. Largo, FL

Index: 83.15
Seniors as Percent of Population: 24.3%
Tax Rate: 15.6%
Walk Score: 42
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.23
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 3.7
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 1.96

Ron Reiring//Wikicommons

23 / 50

#28. Spokane, WA

Index: 84.80
Seniors as Percent of Population: 14.2%
Tax Rate: 17.1%
Walk Score: 48
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.42
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 2.33
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 2.39

Dr. Cash//Wikicommons

24 / 50

#27. Pittsburgh, PA

Index: 85.03
Seniors as Percent of Population: 14.%
Tax Rate: 16.4%
Walk Score: 61
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.16
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 1.7
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 3.81

James Willamor//Wikicommons

25 / 50

#26. Miami, FL

Index: 85.12
Seniors as Percent of Population: 16.%
Tax Rate: 15.6%
Walk Score: 78
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.45
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 0.65
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 8.22

Joe Ravi//Wikicommons

26 / 50

#25. Roanoke, VA

Index: 85.29
Seniors as Percent of Population: 14.7%
Tax Rate: 14.5%
Walk Score: 41
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.21
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 3
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 1.99

Tim Kiser//Wikicommons

27 / 50

#24. Bethlehem, PA

Index: 85.32
Seniors as Percent of Population: 15.6%
Tax Rate: 15.4%
Walk Score: 58
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.17
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 1.62
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 3.01

2candle//Wikicommons

28 / 50

#23. Clearwater, FL

Index: 85.49
Seniors as Percent of Population: 21.3%
Tax Rate: 15.6%
Walk Score: 43
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.29
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 3.36
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 3.85

Steven Pavlov//Wikicommons

29 / 50

#22. Portland, OR

Index: 85.84
Seniors as Percent of Population: 11.3%
Tax Rate: 13.4%
Walk Score: 64
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.44
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 1.84
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 2.44

Trackinfo//Wikicommons

30 / 50

#21. Carmichael, CA

Index: 86.36
Seniors as Percent of Population: 18.2%
Tax Rate: 17.2%
Walk Score: 42
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.39
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 3.32
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 1.62

Daniel Case//Wikicommons

31 / 50

#20. Schenectady, NY

Index: 86.47
Seniors as Percent of Population: 12.5%
Tax Rate: 16.5%
Walk Score: 65
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.14
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 1.84
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 2.18

City of Delray Beach//Wikicommons

32 / 50

#19. Delray Beach, FL

Index: 87.49
Seniors as Percent of Population: 24.7%
Tax Rate: 14.7%
Walk Score: 39
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.11
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 12.82
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 5.54

Ebyabe//Wikicommons

33 / 50

#18. Fort Myers, FL

Index: 88.15
Seniors as Percent of Population: 18.%
Tax Rate: 14.7%
Walk Score: 38
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.28
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 9.58
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 6.7

Nick Kelly / Faithlife Corporation//Wikicommons

34 / 50

#17. Bellingham, WA

Index: 88.38
Seniors as Percent of Population: 13.4%
Tax Rate: 17.1%
Walk Score: 48
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.22
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 3.39
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 3.05

Jamie B.//Wikicommons

35 / 50

#16. Bend, OR

Index: 88.99
Seniors as Percent of Population: 14.8%
Tax Rate: 13.4%
Walk Score: 33
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.32
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 6.58
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 3.15

Elfguy//Wikicommons

36 / 50

#14 (tie). Boca Raton, FL

Index: 89.05
Seniors as Percent of Population: 22.6%
Tax Rate: 14.7%
Walk Score: 40
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.11
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 7.94
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 8.85

Little Mountain 5//Wikicommons

37 / 50

#14 (tie). Medford, OR

Index: 89.05
Seniors as Percent of Population: 16.5%
Tax Rate: 13.4%
Walk Score: 37
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.52
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 3.19
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 2.15

Milei.vencel//Wikicommons

38 / 50

#13. Fort Lauderdale, FL

Index: 90.03
Seniors as Percent of Population: 16.3%
Tax Rate: 14.7%
Walk Score: 58
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.36
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 2.2
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 10.94

Ebyabe//Wikicommons

39 / 50

#12. Miami Beach, FL

Index: 90.26
Seniors as Percent of Population: 15.9%
Tax Rate: 15.6%
Walk Score: 73
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.03
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 2.7
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 3.84

Dominic Sherony//Wikicommons

40 / 50

#11. Boynton Beach, FL

Index: 91.10
Seniors as Percent of Population: 21.2%
Tax Rate: 14.7%
Walk Score: 36
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.15
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 6.44
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 4.56

Don Ramey Logan//Wikicommons

41 / 50

#10. Newport Beach, CA

Index: 91.45
Seniors as Percent of Population: 20.2%
Tax Rate: 17.2%
Walk Score: 46
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.13
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 5.49
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 6.75

Bobby Mikul//PublicDomainPictures.net

42 / 50

#9. West Palm Beach, FL

Index: 93.79
Seniors as Percent of Population: 17.8%
Tax Rate: 14.7%
Walk Score: 41
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.3
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 4.84
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 5.3

AndreCarrotflower//Wikicommons

43 / 50

#8. Erie, PA

Index: 94.62
Seniors as Percent of Population: 13.4%
Tax Rate: 15.5%
Walk Score: 58
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.13
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 4.28
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 2.85

Richard Mc Neil//Wikimedia

44 / 50

#7. Pompano Beach, FL

Index: 95.14
Seniors as Percent of Population: 19.5%
Tax Rate: 14.7%
Walk Score: 47
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.31
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 2.8
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 6.62

Wikipedian1234//Wikicommons

45 / 50

#6. Rockville, MD

Index: 95.40
Seniors as Percent of Population: 15.1%
Tax Rate: 16.%
Walk Score: 53
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.4
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 3.62
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 5.94

Prizrak 2084//Wikicommons

46 / 50

#5. Missoula, MT

Index: 95.43
Seniors as Percent of Population: 12.3%
Tax Rate: 13.4%
Walk Score: 45
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.19
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 5.4
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 2.99

Sesamehoneytart//Wikicommons

47 / 50

#4. Bethesda, MD

Index: 96.45
Seniors as Percent of Population: 17.9%
Tax Rate: 16.%
Walk Score: 47
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.16
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 6.4
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 4.57

12019//Pixabay

48 / 50

#3. Santa Barbara, CA

Index: 96.88
Seniors as Percent of Population: 15.7%
Tax Rate: 17.2%
Walk Score: 62
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.25
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 4.81
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 4.13

Alex Boykov//Wikicommons

49 / 50

#2. Portland, ME

Index: 97.05
Seniors as Percent of Population: 12.8%
Tax Rate: 14.2%
Walk Score: 60
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.17
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 4.43
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 2.59

John Phelan//Wikicommons

50 / 50

#1. Wilmington, DE

Index: 100.00
Seniors as Percent of Population: 12.4%
Tax Rate: 9.4%
Walk Score: 72
Retirement Communities per 1,000 Residents: 0.22
Golf Courses per 100,000 Residents: 4.18
Medical Centers per 1,000 Residents: 5.06

Best cities for an active retirement

#50. Walnut Creek, CA

#49. Livonia, MI

#48. Scranton, PA

#47. Tampa, FL

#46. Frederick, MD

#45. Yakima, WA

#44. Cincinnati, OH

#42 (tie). Melbourne, FL

#42 (tie). Ann Arbor, MI

#41. Nashua, NH

#40. Gresham, OR

#39. Pasadena, CA

#38. Chico, CA

#37. Kalamazoo, MI

#36. Hialeah, FL

#35. Camarillo, CA

#34. Hollywood, FL

#33. Eugene, OR

#32. Reading, PA

#31. Santa Monica, CA

#30. Billings, MT

#29. Largo, FL

#28. Spokane, WA

#27. Pittsburgh, PA

#26. Miami, FL

#25. Roanoke, VA

#24. Bethlehem, PA

#23. Clearwater, FL

#22. Portland, OR

#21. Carmichael, CA

#20. Schenectady, NY

#19. Delray Beach, FL

#18. Fort Myers, FL

#17. Bellingham, WA

#16. Bend, OR

#14 (tie). Boca Raton, FL

#14 (tie). Medford, OR

#13. Fort Lauderdale, FL

#12. Miami Beach, FL

#11. Boynton Beach, FL

#10. Newport Beach, CA

#9. West Palm Beach, FL

#8. Erie, PA

#7. Pompano Beach, FL

#6. Rockville, MD

#5. Missoula, MT

#4. Bethesda, MD

#3. Santa Barbara, CA

#2. Portland, ME

#1. Wilmington, DE

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