Where Are Retirees Moving?

Many people choose to change location when they retire. Below is a story based on the migration flows for retirees (65 years +) in the 100 largest metropolitan areas. Specifically, the story compares the percentage of people (any age) moving from different state to these cities and the percentage of retirees moving and living in these cities.

• Florida has experienced the highest inflow of retirees. The area between Sarasota and Cape Coral - Fort Myers are the most favorable cities among retirees on the move. Miami has also large number of retirees moving (12.6%) and living (24.5%) there.
• McAllen, Texas has a large number of retirees moving to the city. Almost one out of five people moving to the city is a retiree. The benefits of lower medical cost across the border may be the reason.
• Phoenix and Tucson have many retirees moving and living in the city.
• One out of 10 people moving to Las Vegas is 65 years and older.
• Youngstown (16.1% of the population), Scranton (18.1%) and Buffalo (16.1%) have a sizable retiree population. But the reasons are due to younger people going elsewhere.

Click on the tabs to follow the story. Hover over the map for a snapshot of each metro area’s share and see how the map changes moving along the story. Data collected from 2010 through 2012 as part of the American Community Survey (ACS). Metro areas are colored with dark green indicating the highest percentage and, respectively with red indicating the lowest percentage. “Movers” are identified as people moving from different state to the city and “Retirees” as people 65 years and older.