HARD LIVING IN YONKERS: High Living Costs Make New York Second Worst State For Retirees – Yonkers Ranks 172nd Overall For American Cities – By Brian Harrod

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The Empire State and Yonkers are not known for its affordability.

New York State was the second-least affordable state for retirees, a factor that largely drove its ranking as the second-worst state to retire in, according to WalletHub’s recent analysis. Its overall score was 41.86 across dimensions of affordability, quality of life and health care.

New York has the third worst “general tax-friendliness” rating, the 10th-lowest retired taxpayer-friendliness, the fourth-highest share of population aged 65 and older in poverty (11.5% in poverty) and the sixth-highest adjusted cost of living (131.66). Retired taxpayer-friendliness measures taxation on retirement income, property and purchases, and special tax breaks for seniors.

The state suffered in the health care category as well, coming in 27th, with the third-worst quality of public hospitals (according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ ranking of public hospitals), the seventh-highest risk of social isolation and the least family medicine physicians per capita. Social isolation takes the following risk factors into account: divorced, separated or widowed; never married; poverty; disability; independent living difficulty; and living alone.

Still, the state has above average quality of life, stacking up as 17th best in the nation. The state is ranked third for highest life expectancy, following only Hawaii and California. It has the best access to adult volunteer activities (0.23 rated charity organizations per capita) and the eighth-highest number of golf courses per capita (0.23), according to the report.

WalletHub’s September 2020 analysis of 182 best and worst places to retire, based on affordability, activities, quality of life and health care, ranked Rochester as 127th, Buffalo as 146th, New York City as 166th, and Yonkers as 172nd.

New York City received the highest subscores among the state’s municipalities, coming in at 24th best in terms of activities and 33rd best in quality of life.

New Jersey was the worst state to retire in and the least affordable, according to the analysis. The Garden State had the 35th best quality of life and 33rd best healthcare compared with other states.