West Virginia

The Mountain State is for sure a beautiful place with all its rolling hills and breathtaking scenic views, but is this a place you would want to retire? The outdoor activities might seem nice at first, but when you think about some of the challenges that this state has for seniors, you may want to choose another place to spend your golden years.

With a moderate climate and charming small towns, it is easy to see that this is not the problem, but one of the main drawbacks for retirees is the taxation on retirement income. West Virginia includes Social Security benefits and other retirement incomes in its taxable base and does not offer any tax breaks for seniors.

Then we have the healthcare. West Virginia has one of the poorest healthcare systems in the country, and there are no indicators telling us that it will change soon. With a high prevalence of chronic illnesses and limited access to quality medical care, this might be a huge problem for anyone who wants to retire here.

Also, even if crime rates are lower now in most parts of West Virginia, there still are some pockets where violent crimes happen, and this can be a safety concern for retirees.

If you are a nature lover, you might want to move here, but you should be aware of the factors that we mentioned above.