Florida, Virginia and New Hampshire are the best states for military retirees, according to a new WalletHub study, while veterans might want to avoid Washington, D.C., Oregon, and Vermont.
WalletHub said military retirees have different considerations than other retirees since they end their military service by about age 45. That means reentering the job market and transitioning to civilian life, the website said.
Health care is also an important factor with some veterans dealing with such possible factors as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and physical disabilities, WalletHub noted.
"As such, military retirement can be a far more complicated issue than one might assume, given the extent to which state tax policies on military benefits vary, the relative friendliness of different job markets toward veterans, and other socioeconomic factors," WalletHub said in a statement.
The website measured states and the District of Columbia in 27 key metrics, ranging from veterans per capita, to number of Veterans Administration health facilities, to job opportunities for veterans.
Data used for the rankings came from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Military Officers Association of America, USAspending.gov, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Department of Defense, RecruitMilitary, National Conference of State Legislatures, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Council for Community and Economic Research, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Indeed.com.
Florida was the highest ranking state with a total of 61.55 points while Virginia scored 60.18 points, including a No. 1 ranking in the retiree's "quality of life" category. New Hampshire was third with 59.87 points.
Other states in the WallHub's top 10 included Alabama (58.86), South Carolina (58.84), Maine (58.83), South Dakota (58.64), Alaska (58.24), Idaho (57.45), and Texas (55.29). Alabama ranked No. 1 for "economic environment" and South Dakota was the top state for retiree's health care.
The District of Columbia, with a score of 37.05, ranked No. 51 for veterans, ranking next to last place in quality of life and health care. Oregon scored a 39.90, ranking last in veterans quality of life, while Vermont scored 43.15.
Other states in bottom 10 category were Nevada (43.47), New Mexico (45.17), New York (45.32), New Jersey (45.48), Rhode Island (46.16), Mississippi (46.60), and Indiana (46.87).
Last year, WalletHub ranked the best cities for veterans, according to Forbes magazine, and the top 10 included Austin; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Raleigh, North Carolina; Plano, Texas; Tampa; Fremont, California; Seattle, San Diego, and Boise, Idaho.
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