Here we go again: poor old Connecticut has just been chosen as the worst state in the nation to retire in for 2012, worse than Illinois, Rhode Island, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Minnesota, New York, Maine and Wisconsin.
But maybe we should look a bit deeper.
This particular worst list was drawn up by TopRetirement.com, and its authors say they took into account the fiscal health, property taxes, state income taxes, cost of living and climate in each state.
Connecticut was actually tied for the worst retirement state in the nation with Illinois, under this ranking system, but “won” the top spot because of having higher property and state income taxes and a higher cost of living. Lovely.
Still, a little perspective might help.
According to a similar list put out last October by Money-Rates.com, Maine, Michigan and Massachusetts were worse places to retire than Connecticut.
The same outfit chose Texas, Kentucky and Oklahoma as the top three retirement states.
Hmmm. Texas as the best place for retirees. Maybe if you like big hats, George W. Bush and Rick Perry, lots of guns and state-sponsored executions, Texas would be your kind of retirement dream.
Here’s a couple more interesting number-related rankings about our little old Land of Steady Habits:
The New York Times reported that Connecticut has one of the highest median ages (40) in the nation, according to the 2010 census, just behind Maine, Vermont, West Virginia, New Hampshire, Florida and Pennsylvania. And the Northeast (including Connecticut) also has the highest percentage of population over age 65.
Since we have so many people of retirement age and are such a lousy state to retire in, according to some, you’d think we’d have lots of people who are extremely unhappy about living here.
And yet a Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index released in March 2011 listed Connecticut as the 9th happiest state in the nation. (Hawaii was at the top of the happy index, naturally, followed by Wyoming, North Dakota, Alaska, Colorado, Minnesota, South Dakota and Utah.)
That means that we’re happier than 41 other states, including those “great” retirement states mentioned above. (Texas and Oklahoma were both in the bottom half of the happy list, and Kentucky was ranked only above the most miserable state in the U.S., West Virginia.)
Which leads to the natural question, if we’re such a lousy retirement state and have so many old people, why the hell are we so damned happy?
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