The 50 worst US cities for retirement

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Boston may be a great a college town, but it's one of the worst places to live in retirement.

• Certain US cities are the worst places to live when you retire, according to a recent ranking.
• Choosing the best place to retire in the US means weighing affordability, quality of life, activities, and health care.
• More than 20 of the 50 worst cities for retirement are in California.

Your golden years may be better spent in some places than others.

That's according to a report from WalletHub, which ranked the 150 largest US cities for their suitability for retirement.

Unlike working years, retirement is often filled with trips to the doctor's office and leisure time. In the twilight of life, reliable health care and low-cost happiness are important benchmarks when determining where to live.

Taking that into account, Wallethub scored each city on its list based on affordability, activities, quality of life, and health care. The four categories were weighted equally, and each city was given a total score and then ranked, with the lowest overall score designating the worst city. Wallethub used data for the city only, not the surrounding metro area.

Having a high score in one or two categories isn't enough to stay off the list of worst places to live in retirement. Instead, having a balanced approach between the four measurements is important.

San Jose, for example, ranks in the top 10 for quality of life and the top 15 for health care, but still manages to be one of the 50 worst cities for retirement because of its relative lack of activities and affordability. California cities account for 22 of the 50 worst places to retire, likely due to the high cost of living in the Golden State.

Keep reading to see the worst places to retire in the US, according to Wallethub. We've included the total score for each city, out of a possible 100, as well as its individual ranking for each of the four categories.