This Popular Michigan City Is One Of The Worst Places To Retire: Report

Deciding where to retire can be a complicated decision. Whether you choose to prioritize things like weather and outdoor activities or you place more stock in things like proximity to family, affordability could be a significant factor in whatever your choice ends up being. While there are some states we think you should absolutely avoid retiring in, individual cities can offer pros and cons for retirees regardless of the state they're in. According to a recent WalletHub report on the best and worst places to retire, there can be a LOT of considerations (beyond affordability) to factor in when deciding where you might move for retirement.

According to Chip Lupo, a WalletHub analyst, "the best cities for retired people are those that minimize taxes and expenses, as well as have good opportunities for retirees to continue paid work for extra income, if they choose to do so. In addition, the top cities provide high-quality health care and offer plenty of enjoyable activities for retirees." This can be a tall order for a city, but ultimately having resources across multiple categories can be vital for retirees who are, more often than not, living on fixed incomes (it's worth noting that your state can affect your Social Security payments). As a result, WalletHub's report specifically ranked cities based on four major categories: affordability, activities, quality of life, and health care. Of the cities surveyed, some stood out as among the worst places to consider retiring. One city in particular was Detroit.

Coming in sixth for the worst cities for retirees, Detroit didn't fare too well when compared to the other 181 cities in WalletHub's report. Some of the factors that most contributed to the Michigan city's low ranking were cost of living (the city ranked 88th overall) and the city's rough weather (it ranked 112th on the mild-weather ranking system). It's also important to mention that in the health care category, Detroit ranked 113th for the annual cost of in-home services. This can be a significant medical need for retirees, so the lack of affordability for this kind of care is definitely a negative aspect of living in Detroit.

It's also worth noting that Detroit was 180th (almost dead last) in terms of the percentage of people 65 and over who were employed. This means that retirees who might hope to still work in a limited capacity will more than likely face much steeper obstacles to doing so. Not having the option of part-time work for additional income or even for socialization can be detrimental for some retirees. The two categories Detroit ranked the highest in (both at 67th) were the amount of the population aged 65 and older and the amount of recreation and senior centers per capita. With that said, the amount of adult volunteer activities per capita wasn't great, with the city ranking 102nd. All of these factors combined to land Detroit in the bottom 10 U.S. cities for people to retire in.

While WalletHub's study might have ranked Detroit as among the worst places to retire, it's worth noting that its top five list of best places to retire includes four cities in Florida: Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Miami. While Florida might serve as a popular destination for retirees, it has some serious downsides to consider. Most notably, would-be homeowners should consider steering clear of buying in many popular Florida cities due to the financial risks associated with ever-increasing climate change-fueled weather events. This means it could be worth taking the entire report with a grain of salt.

Plus, depending on what report you look at, very different cities and even states can come out at the top of best and worst lists. It's important to look at the specific metrics and methodology used to determine any of these ranking reports to ensure the criteria being used best fits the exact things you're looking for during retirement. For instance, if warm weather is a requirement for you and a report is primarily focused on a state's tax rate (without consideration for something like weather), then that report might not fit your needs.

For anyone curious, joining Detroit in the ranking of worst places to retire, according to WalletHub, were four cities in California — San Bernardino, Stockton, Rancho Cucamonga, and Bakersfield — and Newark, New Jersey. All of which ranked equally as low as Detroit on the affordability, activities, quality of life, and health care rankings.