Best cities for military retirees

1. Anchorage, AK

In Anchorage, Alaska, 2.60% of the population is made up of veterans who are 65 and older, which is the 40th-highest percentage for this double-weighted metric. Meanwhile, Anchorage ranks No. 35 for the low unemployment rate (2.9%) and No. 91 for the percent of veterans living under the poverty line (7.9%). For military retirees who are seniors, the city offers the lowest tax burden (14.78%) across the study.

2. Roseville, CA

Roseville, California ranks seventh-best for its military retirement friendliness index and eighth-highest for its economic environment ranking. Roughly 3% of the population in Roseville are veterans aged 65 and older (15th-highest) and the area offers the 22nd-highest income for veterans ($61,953).

3. Sioux Falls, SD

Sioux Falls, South Dakota remains no. 3 this year due to its continued strong rankings. Sioux Falls boasts a spot among the top 20 cities for our resources for veterans category. In particular, we estimate that there are about 21 VA health facilities and almost two VA benefits administration offices, both per 100,000 veterans.

4. Lakewood, CO

Colorado ranks sixth-best state for number of VA benefits administration offices per capita, offering 2.30 offices per 100,000 veterans. The city of Lakewood additionally ranks 18th overall for its strong economic environment, which is made up of these three metrics: median veteran income ($53,957), percentage of veterans living under the poverty line (4.8%) and August 2022 unemployment rate (3.0% ).

5. Vancouver, WA

Vancouver, Washington ranks second-best for our military retirement friendliness category. Specifically, Vancouver also has the fourth-highest percentage of veterans ages 65 and older (4.03%) and a low estimated senior tax burden (22.02%).

6. Overland Park, KS

Overland Park, Kansas has the second-best ranking for the economic environment index across all 200 cities in our study. Unemployment is low, with only 2.6% of workers out of work in August 2022 (18th-lowest overall). Additionally, Overland offers the 60th-highest number of retirement communities per capita, at 16.53.

7. Chesapeake, VA

Chesapeake, Virginia showcases a top 20 ranking in two metrics: percentage of the population who are veterans ages 65 and up (3.22%) and median veteran income level ($76,406). Chesapeake seniors are less likely to be living under the poverty line with roughly 5.0% of this demographic in this position currently.

8. Surprise, AZ

Surprise, Arizona held a few surprises for us when stacked against the 200 other cities in our study. For starters, the city ranks in the top 10 for both its military retirement friendliness and economic environment. Additionally, this Phoenix suburb took the number one spot in the ranking for the percentage of the population who are veterans ages 65 and older (4.51%) and has the second-lowest veteran poverty rate (1.4%).

9. Oceanside, CA

Oceanside, California moved up one spot this year in the overall rankings for military retirees. Located between Los Angeles and San Diego, the city of Oceanside ranks well for its relatively low percentage of veterans living under the poverty line (5.0%), which is the 28th-lowest across our study. Veterans in Oceanside also earn roughly $58,369, the 34th-highest median income for veterans across the study.

10. Peoria, AZ

Peoria, Arizona rounds out this year’s top 10 rankings for the best places for military retirees. Peoria ranks in the top 20 cities for two metrics: percentage of veterans under the poverty line (3.6%) and percentage of population who retired veterans (3.36%). The median veteran income is $60,739, further demonstrating the area’s strong economic environment for veterans.