When it comes to offering an ideal place for retirees to spend their post-work years, New Jersey has, well, more work to do. 

WalletHub recently compared the “retirement-friendliness” of 182 cities across the U.S. Included were the 150 most populated cities and at least two of the most populated cities in each state. 

The personal finance website evaluated cities based on 45 metrics across four key areas: 

• Affordability 
• Activities 
• Quality of life 
• Health Care 

Within New Jersey, WalletHub evaluated Jersey City and Newark for its 2025 Best & Worst Places to Retire list: 

Jersey City: 

• Overall rank: No. 161 
• Affordability: No. 162 
• Activities: No. 96 
• Quality of life: No. 66 
• Health care: No. 63

Newark:

• Overall rank: No. 178 
• Affordability: No. 156 
• Activities: No. 81 
• Quality of life: No. 169 
• Health care: No. 134 

“It’s important to choose wisely when picking where to retire, as many retirees are on a fixed income. As a result, the best cities for retired people are those that minimize taxes and expenses, as well as have good opportunities for retirees to continue paid work for extra income, if they choose to do so,” Chip Lupo, WalletHub analyst, said in the report. 

“In addition, the top cities provide high-quality health care and offer plenty of enjoyable activities for retirees,” Lupo added. 

Scroll over the map to see WalletHub’s 2025 Best & Worst Places to Retire:

Best states to retire 

When it comes to the state as a whole, New Jersey ranked No. 45 in WalletHub’s list released earlier this year. However, while the state’s score for affordability (No. 46) hurt its placement, the Garden State did land at No. 12 for health care. 

In July, financial analysis website Bankrate released its own state-comparison list for retirement, which looked at similar metrics to WalletHub, as well as data points such as weather, neighborhood safety, entertainment and more. On that list, New Jersey placed more in the middle, at No. 23.

According to WalletHub, the best states to retire are: 

• No. 1: Florida  
• No. 2: Minnesota 
• No. 3: Colorado 
• No. 4: Wyoming 
• No. 5: South Dakota 

According to Bankrate, the best states to retire are:

• No. 1: New Hampshire
• No. 2: Maine
• No. 3: Wyoming
• No. 4: Vermont
• No. 5: Idaho

The retirement rankings are a stark contrast to WalletHub’s analysis of the best states to live in, based on affordability; economy; education & health; quality of life; and safety. On that list, New Jersey landed at No. 3.