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Iowa ranked second-best state for retirement

A new survey ranks Iowa second, only behind Idaho, in a list of the best states in which to retire in 2013.

A new survey ranks Iowa second, only behind Idaho, in a list of the best states in which to retire in 2013.

The survey from MoneyRates.com ranks the states based on affordability, crime rate, climate, life expectancy at age 65 and the state’s senior population.

Iowa was ranked high because of its low crime rate, as the state ranked number 10 in the nation among states with the lowest rate of violent and property crimes.

Although crime was the only factor for which Iowa was listed in the top 10 states, the above-average scores for the other factors helped Iowa finish in second place overall.

Iowa ranked 12th-best for economic factors like cost of living, taxes and unemployment; and also at number 12 for climate because of comfortable temperatures and moderate annual precipitation.

Iowa was ranked number 18 in the nation for life expectancy and number 24 for the percentage of the population made up of senior citizens.

Idaho won the top spot on the list for its fourth-place economic factors ranking and its best-in-the-nation crime rate.  MoneyRates.com said Idaho had one of the fastest-growing senior populations in the U.S. between 2000 and 2010.

The survey lists these states as the best for retirement:

(1) Idaho, (2) Iowa, (3) Hawaii, (4) South Dakota, (5) Oregon, (6) Florida, (7) tie - Arizona and North Dakota, (9) Vermont and (10) tie - Minnesota and Utah.

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