May 16, 2026
Florida might be the Sunshine State, but it's also becoming the land of mind-boggling home insurance premiums. This has made a popular retirement destination less attractive for older Americans, and that point was driven home earlier this month in Forbes' list of the best places to retire in the U.S. (1)
Of the 25 listed locations, just one of those was in Florida.
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Instead, areas like Green Valley, Arizona, an unincorporated area about 30 miles south of Tucson, are gaining prominence. With average home prices of a mere $282,000 (compared to a national average of $409,000), Green Valley is becoming more popular with retirees, with 130 age-restricted developments there already.
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Housing prices were an important factor in choosing popular areas with older Americans. Of the 25 locations on Forbes' list, 21 had a median price that was at or below the national average. Seven cities— Green Valley; Appleton, Wisconsin; Iowa City, Iowa; Lincoln, Nebraska; Midland, Michigan; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and San Antonio, Texas — offered median prices below $300,000.
Warm environments aren't essential
While retirement towns are generally thought of as warm, the list does include a few cities that get quite chilly in the winter.
Fargo, North Dakota, which has been on the list every year for 16 years, was cited, as was Pittsburgh. Appleton, Wisconsin and Midland, Michigan also made the rankings.
Pittsburgh is an especially good choice for people hunting for affordable housing. The median home price there is $238,000, which is 42% below the national median.
The only Florida entry was The Villages, a Central Florida community that's about halfway between Orlando and Gainesville. (That sets it about as far inland as you can get in the state, meaning it's a bit less at risk for hurricane damage than other cities.)
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Walkable or no?
Retirement often means having to eventually surrender some of the conveniences you've grown accustomed to, such as driving. So, walkability would seem a critical component of the rankings.
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Many of the cities Forbes mentioned, however, aren't pedestrian friendly, something older Americans might want to keep in mind. Among the listed cities that were ranked as having poor walkability were Athens, Georgia; College Station, Texas; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Columbia, Missouri; Green Valley; Lexington, Kentucky; Pasco, Washington; Raleigh, North Carolina and The Villages, Florida.
Forbes examined 1,000 cities in making its selections. To whittle that down, the publication considered housing costs, taxes, availability to healthcare, serious crime statistics, air quality and natural hazard risks (as measured by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index) to settle on its top 25.
It was the FEMA data that knocked many Florida options out of the running. Since 2015, the state has been hit by six major hurricanes and dozens of smaller ones (2). As a result, Florida is now the most expensive state in the country for home insurance. Some areas, such as Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood, charge more than $10,000 per year for $300,000 worth of coverage (3).
Article Sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our ethics and guidelines.
Forbes (1); Florida State University Climate Center (2); Bankrate (3).
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Chris Morris is a veteran journalist with more than 35 years of experience at many of the internet's biggest news outlets. In addition to his activities as a writer, reporter and editor, Chris is also a frequent panel moderator and speaker at major conferences, including CES and South by Southwest.
