Where Are Retirees Moving?

Although Americans aged 65 and older make up 17% of the total U.S. population, they accounted for 29% of moves in 2020, according to data from moving company United Van Lines. Data also found that retirement or general relocation were top reasons for older adults moving. But where are these older Americans moving to? SmartAsset rounded up the top 10 states older Americans relocate to by using Census Bureau data to compare the number of older adults who move into a state and older adults who left the state. The top ranking states were often tax-friendly and in the west or south regions of the country.

Fewer retirees are moving to Spring Valley, Nevada. There was a very large influx of seniors to Spring Valley, Nevada in 2018, with a total of 2,920 seniors aged 60 and older moving to the city. In 2019, the number of seniors moving to Spring Valley dropped significantly; the net migration was less than 200. That change dropped Spring Valley 64 places in our rankings, from No. 2 to No. 66, in just one year.

Like last year, Florida and Arizona remain the top two states where retirees are moving. In 2019, there was a net migration of roughly 95,000 people ages 60 and older to both states. Over the course of the year, approximately 145,600 retirees moved to Florida, while roughly 78,500 moved out. And in Arizona, slightly more than56,000 retirees moved to the state while more than 27,900 moved elsewhere.

North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas follow Florida and Arizona as popular destinations to which retirees are moving. Census data shows that there was a net migration of roughly 19,700 people aged 60 and older to North Carolina in 2019, while South Carolina had about 14,000 and Texas had just over 9,300.

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