There are pros and cons to retiring in Alabama for veterans. While the state has a low cost-of-living index and some beautiful stretches of coastline along with a mild climate, Alabama also has high poverty levels and the rural areas lack easy access to healthcare. All of this should be considered when planning for retirement.
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WalletHub ranked Alabama in the middle of the pack – it came in at No. 27 on their list, just behind West Virginia, but ahead of Georgia and Vermont – when it comes to best and worst states for veterans to retire in America. The website took 20 different metrics into account when compiling its list. "Military retirement is a far more complicated issue than one might initially assume, given the extent to which state tax policies differ when it comes to military benefits, the relative friendliness of different job markets to veterans, and a variety of other important socioeconomic factors," according to
WalletHub.
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Although Alabama only ranked in the middle of the overall list, when it came to one of the three major ranking criteria on the
WalletHub report, "economic environment," it actually ranked No. 1 in the country. This means that Alabama scored very well when it came to state taxes on military pensions (none), the number of veteran-owned businesses in the state, job opportunities for veterans, housing affordability and the cost of living.
When it came to the "healthcare" ranking, Alabama was one of the worst places in the country for veterans to retire, with a No. 50 placement. The
WalletHub survey took into account factors like the number of Veterans Affairs health facilities per number of veterans, the number of hospitals and doctors in the state and the emotional health of veterans.
Accessibility to healthcare is an issue for retirees throughout Alabama, regardless of whether or not they are veterans. According to a MarketWatch article, while Alabama's big cities have good healthcare facilities, rural areas struggle when it comes to healthcare.
"There are just 178 physicians per 100,000 people in Alabama, compared to 221 in the U.S. as a whole."
MarketWatch reported.
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