The Milken Institute just released a report on the “Best Cities for Successful Aging” which ranked 352 U.S. metropolitan areas based on how well their physical and social surroundings support health, engagement, productivity and purpose as people age.
The top 10 large metropolitan areas are:
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Omaha, Nebraska/Council Bluffs, Iowa
- Provo-Orem, Utah
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Massachusetts
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- Jackson, Mississippi
- Des Moines-West Des Moines, Iowa
- Toledo, Ohio
- Austin-Round Rock, Texas
- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut
Interestingly, none of these locations, other than Austin-Round Rock, Texas are in the sun-belt states that are traditionally viewed as retirement havens. Nine Florida cities do appear in the top 100 large metropolitan category:
Cape-Coral-Fort Myers, FL – 93
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormend Beach, FL – 96
Jacksonville, FL – 71
Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL – 97
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL – 76
North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL – 91
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL – 85
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL – 92
Tampa-St. Pete-Clearwater, FL – 86
Also, it’s notable that in the “small metropolitan area” category, Gainesville ranked #12. To read the full report and see an explanation of the criteria used in making these determinations, go to www.milkeninstitute.org/publications/view/671.
