25 Best Places To Live If You Want To Work In Retirement (55, moving)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Apparently, Forbes does this every year. The first link is the article which tells you, among other things, the criteria used. The second link is the actual slideshow list which is in alphabetical order.
"...more and more people contemplating or in retirement plan to work, at least for a time after “retirement”. That could be in a full-time position, a seasonal job or part-time work. In a recent study conducted for the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies says, fewer than a fifth of workers said they had no plans to work at all after retirement. Moreover, in this and other surveys, even folks who don’t need the money say they intend to keep working because they like what they do, or want to stay active or want the mental stimulation. The places–actually, metropolitan areas or divisions thereof, since work opportunities don’t stop at a municipal boundary–are centered in 18 states. There is something less than a perfect geographic distribution. No places in the Pacific Time Zone made the list, and in the Northeast, just one area, Pittsburgh, Pa. The main reasons: high taxes and living costs. Nor are there any locations in the popular retirement regions of Florida and Arizona. Why? Lackluster economies. But three of our picks —Amarillo, Corpus Christi and Fort Worth—are in warm Texas, making it the only state to place three locales on the list. Against that backdrop, Forbes again presents a new list of the 25 Best Places For A Working Retirement."
In general, most of Texas is great for working retirement. Low unemployment and increases in job demand. That's important. Some of those college towns on that list have low unemployment rates, but retirees are competing with college kids. Cost of living is below average in most places, no state income tax, no cold winters and there's tons of things to do, pro sports, culture, museums, and year round golf in most of the state..
It's a shame that George Carlin is no longer alive because that ranks with jumbo shrimp as one of the all-time great oxymorons.
I agree it's an oxymoron. However, I consider that people who purposely give up their full time job, whether it's a career or just a job, in order to work part-time or seasonally are "semi-retired". A better title for the list might be "25 best cities for semi-retirement".
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,711 posts, read 58,042,598 times
Reputation: 46182
That is fine there are no areas in Pacific, & few in Mtn time zones. More jobs for us 'Semi -retired' + I keep my CDL current so I can also be 'Retired-in-a-Semi'
Some runs pay decent (mail / FED-EX / UPS during Christmas), but it is best to be a relief driver for an independent or Hotshot. I LIKE to get paid to travel, some runs are quite scenic in western USA and TRUCKS are fairly SAFE from all the old coggers weaving around in their Motorhomes
But... all those Random (?) MANDATORY drug tests drain me.. I got jabbed 6x in one yr and probably drove less than 6 weeks. I don't think I've been called in ONCE during my driving assignments.
I like the diversity of jobs I have found in 'Semi-retirement' (and as mentioned it (work)has ALL been a piece of cake after growing up on a Dairy Farm!). One nice thing... you can quit ANYTIME you feel there is something better to do
Last edited by StealthRabbit; 02-05-2013 at 09:45 PM..
In general, most of Texas is great for working retirement. Low unemployment and increases in job demand. That's important. Some of those college towns on that list have low unemployment rates, but retirees are competing with college kids.
Retirees really don't compete with students on a lot of part-time jobs. Many college students are NOT available for early AM work; most older people do NOT want to work evening hours. Also, retirees are around during school holiday periods.
I suspect we will see a lot of people moving to these cities--people who are 55+ and now being "retired" against their will by employers who don't want to pay for health benefits for older employees, even if those employees have been with a company 20-30 years. Many of them really can't afford to retire and can't afford to continue living in the pricey towns, so they'll head to Texas or Pittsburgh. I really hope it works out well for them.
As much as I like Pittsburgh, I wonder if it's really such a great city for a retiree. It's hilly, icy, rainy, dreary, and the other retirees there have lived their all their life and tend to be insular. Right now there are jobs--but before anyone gets too excited, they pay minimum wage and aren't exactly mentally stimulating jobs. Pizza delivery, coffee shop waitress, etc. Will the people who move there just to find semi-retirement work regret doing so? Texas might have more promising opportunities, but it isn't a good fit for everyone. I know some people who moved to Texas and hated it.
Plus, moving to a new state is expensive. I can understand moving to a place if it feels like a place you'd like to live. What happens if the job market in Texas or Pittsburgh dries up, and then you're left in a new city that doesn't feel like a good fit for you and also doesn't have work anymore?
If working in retirement is the top priority, some of these cities might be desirable. However, the climate in S. Dakota, for example, is not for everyone. It's tundra, and extremely cold, major minuses throughout the winter. Pittsburgh, as others mentioned, is icy and hilly and has lots of bridges, making driving a challenge as one ages. I think I'd only move to a place for work if it had other qualities I'm looking for in retirement, such as moderate climate, low retiree taxes and lower cost of living. It's hard to put it all together since everyone has different priorities, but fun to read these lists.
The one other problem I have with lists like this is that by the time a list is published it's old news. The odds are high that a whole wave of those seniors who need to work have already discovered it and taken most of the available jobs.
I've worked since I was 13, am 61 now, and after 35 years in the same career have zero desire to work again, ever. Full time, part time, no thank you. I retired to do just that...retire. I enjoy getting up when I want and doing what I want during the day. Finally, my time is mine.
There's time now, time enough at last. - Henry Bemis
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
, some runs are quite scenic in western USA and TRUCKS are fairly SAFE from all the old coggers weaving around in their Motorhomes
throughout the winter. Pittsburgh, as others mentioned, is icy and hilly and has lots of bridges, making driving a challenge as one ages. I think I'd only move to a place for work if it had other qualities I'm looking for in retirement, such as moderate climate, low retiree taxes and lower cost of living. It's hard to put it all together since everyone has different priorities, but fun to read these lists.
