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- Retirees are moving to warmer cities in Arizona, Texas, and Tennessee, many for lower living costs.
- Mesa, Arizona had the highest net movement of retirees, according to a SmartAsset analysis.
- Cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago saw a significant net loss of retirees in 2022.
Retirees are flocking to cities in Arizona, Texas, and Tennessee — and fleeing New York and California.
A new analysis from SmartAsset shows that in 2022, using the most recent Census Bureau American Community Survey data, the city of Mesa, Arizona had the most Americans of retirement age move in and the highest net movement of retirees. Out of 182 cities SmartAsset analyzed, every city in the top 10 for net movement of Americans aged 60 and older was in the South.
Many retirees are moving to warmer cities with lower living costs — some citing fears that they won't have enough saved for a comfortable retirement — and strong access to health and entertainment resources. Some retirees previously told Business Insider they've downsized to quieter communities, some of which more closely align with their political beliefs.
Florida gained a net 77,290 retirees in 2022, losing 94,053 but adding 171,343. This was followed by Arizona at 23,515 and South Carolina at 20,895.
Mesa, a city of over 500,000 just east of Phoenix, saw nearly 7,000 people move in, compared to about 2,500 moving out. Mesa had 50% more net influx of retirees than any other city — and the second-fastest rate of retirees moving in when adjusting for relative size. Last year, Mesa topped SmartAsset's study of where seniors are the most financially secure.
Data reveals Mesa had the highest percentage of homeownership among retirement-aged citizens. It also had the second-lowest percentage of senior poverty and the lowest percentage of older adults on food stamps.
San Antonio ranked second for net movement at 2,936 — 4,102 moved in, while just 1,166 moved out. Texas cities Houston and Fort Worth, which had net influxes of 1,139 and 1,130, respectively, were ranked 7th and 8th.
Perhaps expectedly, Florida had three cities in the top 11: St. Petersburg in fourth, Clearwater in 10th, and Cape Coral in 11th. However, Miami lost 1,134 retirees net, while Tallahassee lost 527. Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, and Gainesville were also in the negatives.
Other cities in the top 10 for net movement include Henderson, Nevada, Atlanta, and the Tennessee cities of Murfreesboro and Chattanooga.
Conversely, 28,969 retirees moved out of New York City, while only 6,194 moved in. Los Angeles had a net loss of 5,549, while Chicago's retiree population fell by 3,251. Still, retirees have comparable or higher retirement incomes in some of these cities experiencing net losses compared to those with high net gains.
Have you recently moved to a new state for your retirement? Reach out to this reporter at nsheidlower@businessinsider.com.