Higher than average crime rates, lack of public transit and poor access to healthcare are clear indicators of some of the worst retirement destinations in the U.S., according to a Grandparents.com article published in Huffington Post.
High violent and property crime rates, poor air quality and a 20% vacancy rate for homes and apartments earned St. Louis the top ranking as Grandparents.com’s worst place to retire.
A high foreclosure rate helped Las Vegas rank in at the number two spot, as Sin City is considered one of the highest foreclosure metros in the country when it comes to “bank-seized ‘vampire’ and homeowner-abandoned ‘zombie’ foreclosures,” the article writes.
Despite the Vegas’ dense casino gaming industry, the city hosts an unemployment rate that is 6% higher than the national average and provides “poor” access to healthcare. Only 69.7% of Vegas residents have what the article notes as a “usual source of health care,” also noting that this proportion is much lower than the national average of 82.4%.
Lack of public transit was also a factor for several cities such as Atlanta and Little Rock, Arkansas, deemed as retirement destinations to avoid, as well as increased levels of air pollution that could aggregate respiratory conditions among older adults.
See what other cities made the list.
Written by Jason Oliva
