Surprise: More Retirees Moved to This New England State Than Florida!

April 1, 2025 — HireaHelper.com publishes a very interesting study of retirement moves every year. Since they rely on Census Data and other , it is pretty solid info. The most surprising thing in the report was that Massachusetts was the stop state for retirees who “moved specifically to retire” (see distinction below). A link to the full report is at bottom of article.

Here are some of their important findings:

• In 2024, 258,000 Americans relocated for retirement, a steep 23.8% drop from 2023.

• 32.2% of those who did move relocated to a different state — nearly twice the rate of the average American mover.
• Among all retirees who moved to a new state, Florida remained the most popular, attracting 20% of this demographic. Minnesota (that was a surprise!), Virginia, and North Carolina came next, but weren’t even close to FL.
• For retirees who moved specifically to retire, Massachusetts claimed the top spot for moves out of state, attracting 20.4% of all such moves. Florida was just behind the Bay State. Healthcare, culture, and family might be reasons for MA’s success.
• Among all retirees who moved to a new state, California was once again the most common state left behind in 2024, with 10.6% of all retiree moves originating there. New Hampshire, Virginia, Florida and others were close behind.
• The state with the highest proportion of “move-to-retire” departures was Virginia.

Reasons for Moving

“Moving to retire” was the top reason retirees relocated in 2024. After that the most common reasons were health, family reasons, cheaper or better housing, marital status, and climate considerations. The study authors believe that two big considerations made it harder for people to move in 2024. Mortgage rates climbed to 7% in 2024 from 4.7% the year before. Meanwhile the average home in the U.S. is valued at about $500,000, up from $382,000 the previous year.

See the full report:

2024-2025 Retirement Study: Where and Why Retirees Moved