The Methodology For Rankings Roughly half of Americans aged 55 and above have already retired, and this number may be increasing. Even though relocating for retirement is seemingly decreasing, it remains an important consideration for those approaching retirement age. Various factors have to be taken into account when deciding the best state to retire in; to gain an understanding of these factors, The Motley Fool surveyed 1,500 Americans before ranking all 50 states according to their responses. To determine the best and worst states to retire in, The Motley Food conducted a three-step process. First, they surveyed 1,500 American adults aged 55 and above to find out what they value in retirement. The survey was conducted on Dec. 2, 2021. Second, they selected data sources to correspond to the top seven factors identified from the survey (including sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and more). Finally, the data from each state was turned into z-scores and weighted according to the importance of the corresponding factor from the survey. These final scores were used to create a final weighted score between 0 and 100, determining which states were the best and worst to retire in.