Utah one of the top states to retire in

Retirement • Idaho is top of the list while Louisiana is the worst state to retire in.
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Utah was ranked as one of the top ten states to retire in, according to the new 2013 MoneyRates.com Best States to Retire and Worst States to Retire lists.

The states and their rankings were judged on a list of criteria including senior population, cost of living, taxes, unemployment, crime rates, climate and life expectancy at the age of 65.

Utah was ranked 10th and is tied with Minnesota. But the Utah's neighbor to the north, Idaho, was ranked first on the list.

"A comfortable retirement isn't always about warm weather and beachfront property," Richard Barrington, senior financial analyst for MoneyRates.com, said in a statement. "Freedom from crime, low property taxes and a reasonable cost of living may be more important to some people. We think the diversity of our list gives people a true range of choices to consider."

Florida and Arizona, two states normally associated as favorite retirement destinations, were each ranked 6th and 7th on the list, respectively. Meanwhile, Louisiana was ranked as the worst state for retirement.

"Louisiana has an unusually small proportion of seniors among its population," Barrington said. "That seems to confirm that seniors don't typically find it a great place to retire."

To see the complete lists, go to www.moneyrates.com.