Where to Live for a Working Retirement

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Retirement isn’t what it used to be. People are living longer, their money isn’t lasting long enough, investments go awry and out-of-pocket health care costs are rising. As a result people are pushing back retirement, working later and later in life.

Another trend is continuing to work even after “retirement,” whether it’s full-time, part-time or seasonal work. Sometimes this isn’t just for monetary reasons, but to keep active and fill up the days during the Golden Years.

With that in mind, Forbes compiled a list of the 25 best places for a working retirement. This list isn’t full of traditional hotspots; instead it lists areas with good economies, unemployment rates below the national average, cost of living around or below the national average and a few other factors.

Given those restraints on the list, some areas typically associated with retirement are missing (no Florida!). The West Coast is absent from the list and the Northeast is just barely represented, which is unsurprising considering the high taxes and costs of living.

Here are the 10 best metro areas (in decreasing order by population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau in July 2011).

(Note: the national average home price is $186,000)

10. Salt Lake City, Utah

Population: 189,899

Unemployment rate: 4.9%

Cost-of-living: 5% below the national average

Median home price: $150,000

Additional: Utah has a good tax climate for senior citizens.

9. Amarillo, Texas

Population: 193,675

Unemployment rate: 4.1%

Cost-of-living: 10% below the national average

Median home price: $140,000

Additional: The state has above-average air quality, abundant physicians and no income tax.

8. Shreveport, Louisiana

Population: 200,975

Unemployment rate: 5.7%

Cost-of-living: 12% below national average

Median home price: $163,000

Additional: Louisiana has a good tax climate. Doctors are abundant and the air quality is good. Crime, though, remains a problem.

7. Des Moines, Iowa

Population: 206,599

Unemployment rate: 5.2%

Cost-of-living: 2% below the national average

Median home price: $166,000

Additional: The city gets high marks for being bicycle-friendly and for a high level of volunteerism, but the state has a poor tax climate.

6. Lincoln, Nebraska

Population: 262,341

Unemployment rate: 3.4%

Cost-of-living: 6% below the national average

Median home price: $142,000

Additional: One downside is the state's dreary tax climate.

5. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Population: 307,484

Unemployment rate: 7.1% (the highest on this list)

Cost-of-living: Mirrors national average

Median home price: $134,000

Additional: The doctors-per-capita ratio is very high.

4. Corpus Christi, Texas

Population: 307,953

Unemployment rate: 5.7%

Cost-of-living: 6% below national average

Median home price: $147,000

Additional: Texas also has no state income tax.

3. Nashville, Tennessee

Population: 590,807

Unemployment rate: 6.1%

Cost-of-living: 5% below the national average

Median home price: $164,000

2. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Population: 591,967

Unemployment rate: 4.6%

Cost-of-living: 7% below national average

Median home price: $148,000

Additional: Oklahoma also has a favorable tax climate for senior citizens.

1. Fort Worth, Texas

Population: 758,738

Unemployment rate: 5.9%

Cost-of-living: Slightly below national average

Median home price: $94,000

Additional: There's no state income tax in Texas.

Read more:

Best Places for a Working Retirement in 2013 - Forbes