Pittsburgh ranks 15th among best cities in nation to retire

Pittsburgh makes a lot of lists — the best cities for its Oktoberfest, for coffee drinkers and to celebrate the Fourth of July. It even made the top three for the best Rust Belt comeback story. Yet as a retiree destination, it rarely outshines Sun Belt locales.

But in a new list, the Steel City can brag it’s the 15th best city to retire.

The ranking comes from Chamber of Commerce, a digital research firm that helps small businesses and entrepreneurs (not affiliated with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce). It examined more than 4,100 cities, or those with a population of 10,000 or more. Only four Pennsylvania cities made the top 100. None came close to Pittsburgh. The 2019 list from Chamber of Commerce ranked Scranton (39), Philadelphia (42) and Erie (56).

No. 1 on the list was New Bedford, Mass., for its small-town feel and coastal climate. Massachusetts claimed for four spots in the top 10.

With the average retiree living expenses costing $46,000 a year, and the retirement age getting pushed back every year, selecting an affordable place to live out one’s golden years is going to become more important as baby boomers leave the workforce.

The organization’s ranking looked at a number of indicators, including the percentage of the population 65 and older, poverty rate, median housing costs and the rate of physicians, crime and police officers per 100,000 population.

To read the full report, click here.