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An Arizona town ranked the most livable place to live in the West in a recent GOBankingRates.com study. As a state, Arizona made a strong showing overall with seven towns in the top 50.
A recent GOBankingRates.com study ranked the most livable places to retire in the U.S. While the top spots are occupied by several Florida communities, for retirees looking to live out their golden years in the WestOro Valley, Arizona, may be their best choice. It came in fifth overall, the highest of any other town west of the Great Plains.
GOBankingRates.com created the study, drawing on factors such as median household income and the share of people aged 65 and older, to rank 50 towns throughout the country.
Oro Valley has a livability index of 81 out of 100 and a median household income of $105,342. Additionally, nearly 35 percent of its 49,000 full-time residents is over the age of 65.
The town is located just six miles north of Tucson, nestled in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains at an elevation of 2,620 feet. Residents enjoy abundant sunshine, extensive hiking trails, and easy access to the world-class botanical garden at Tohono Chul Park. Earlier this year, Oro Valley was also highlighted as the safest and wealthiest U.S. retirement townwith just 0.57 violent crimes per 1,000 residents and a property crime rate of 11.41 per 1,000 residents.
The Grand Canyon State made a strong showing overall in the top 50, with Cottonwood coming in at No. 11 and a livability score of 77, Prescott at No. 30, Sun City at No. 34, Catalina Foothills coming in just behind at No. 35, Fountain Hills ranked at No. 44, Apache Junction at No. 47, and Payson at No. 48 with a livability score of 66.
The only state to achieve more rankings than Arizona in the top 50 was Florida, which dominated the list with 26 retirement locations, including the top three.
In order to determine eligible towns for its list of the most livable retirement towns, GOBankingRates drew upon data from the U.S. Census 2023 5-Year American Community Survey to create a list of towns with at least 10,000 residents, where at least 33 percent of the population is over the age of 65.
You can see the complete ranking on gobankingrates.com.
