U.S. News & World Report Announces the 2026 Best Places to Retire

New entrant, Midland, Michigan, locks in No. 1 spot, brand-new top 10.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and consumer advice, today revealed the 2026 Best Places to Retire in the United States. This year's rankings expanded to evaluate more than 850 U.S. cities, publishing the 250 top places (up from 150). The rankings were based on how well they meet American retirees' expectations against measures including quality of life, affordability, health care, retiree taxes, job market, and, for the first time, population and migration for retirees aged 55 and older.

U.S. News' expansion of evaluated cities and new data considerations paved the way for first-time entrant, Midland, Michigan, to secure the No. 1 rank. Midland scored high in affordability and retiree taxes, helping it to lock in the top spot.

"The expansion of the 2026 Best Places to Retire rankings to evaluate over 850 cities enables retirees to have a more granular starting point when deciding where to spend their golden years," said Tim Smart, contributing editor and author of U.S. News & World Report's retirement newsletter, YOLO: Your Smart Guide to Retirement. "Whether seeking a bustling city or a quiet town, retirees are now empowered with a more precise view of the best places to settle down."

Beyond making quality of life the most heavily weighted factor in the rankings, U.S. News adjusted its scoring in the 2026 Best Places to Retire methodology to also consider the population and migration patterns of retirees ages 55 and older. The methodology also includes indexes for affordability, health care quality, retiree taxes and job market. Coupled with U.S. News' move to build on its use of city-based data by evaluating more cities, these changes resulted in a brand new top-10 list.

Weirton, West Virginia , came in at No. 2 due to strong scores in quality of life, happiness, affordability and retiree taxes. High performance for 55+ population growth, retiree taxes, affordability and quality of life resulted in Homosassa Springs, Florida, placing No. 3 on the list.

"Retirees are prioritizing quality of life over affordability for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. This, coupled with an expanded number of places evaluated, allowed a number of midwestern cities to secure high positions in the rankings," said Smart.

The six measures factored into this year's rankings were weighted based on a public survey of individuals across the U.S. who are at or approaching retirement age (45 and older) to find out what matters most to people when they're considering where to retire. Data resources include federal, state, and local data provided by Applied Geographic Solutions, which includes data sourced from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis and U.S. News' Best Hospitals rankings. To learn more about how the rankings are determined, read the Best Places to Retire methodology.

Best Places to Retire is part of U.S. News' Real Estate section, which provides rankings and tools to help individuals navigate the housing market, including home value estimates to working with an agent.

202 6 U.S. News Best Places to Retire – Top 10
*See the full rankings here.

1. Midland, Michigan
2. Weirton, West Virginia
3. Homosassa Springs, Florida
4. The Woodlands, Texas
5. Spring, Texas
6. Rancho Rio, New Mexico
7. Spring Hill, Florida
8. Altoona, Pennsylvania
9. Palm Coast, Florida
10. Lynchburg, Virginia

For more information on Best Places to Retire, explore Facebook, LinkedIn, Tik Tok, Instagram and X using #BestPlacesToRetire.

About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S. News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and consumer advice to millions of people on USNews.com each month. A pillar in Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, personal finance, travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services.

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report, L.P.