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Best places to retire: This Treasure Coast city made U.S. News & World Report ranking

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Best places to retire: This Treasure Coast city made U.S. News & World Report ranking

U.S. News & World Report last month ranked Port St. Lucie the 19th best city to retire out of 150 cities it studied.

Port St. Lucie scored 6.7 out of 10 in six categories that were weighted based on a survey of people’s most important considerations when choosing a place to live: happiness (27%), affordability (25%), health care quality (15%), retiree taxes (13%), desirability (12%) and job market (8%).

The study cited these key factors — some good, some bad:

  • Weather: Average rainfall of 0.01 inches and average temperatures of 69 in winter, 77 in fall, 76 in spring and 83 in summer.
  • Crime: Lower rate for violent and property crimes than national average.
  • Age: Over a fifth of the population is 65 or older, and the median age is 46.
  • Jobs: Healthy job market, with an unemployment rate of 5.7% compared to 5.3% nationally. Top industries are tourism, call centers and health care, with Cleveland Clinic and HCA Florida hospitals.
  • Social: Fewer single people than national average, with 46.6% single and 53.4% married.
  • Housing: Lower value, with an average housing cost of $293,943 compared to $281,900 nationally, and a median household income of $75,874, compared to $75,149 nationally. The median monthly rent is $1,736.
  • Education: Lower college-readiness score of 4.1, with a student-teacher ratio of 25-to-1.
  • Commute: 36 minutes, which is 4 minutes longer than the national average. Some residents commute to work in nearby cities such as West Palm Beach.

Port St. Lucie has 220,637 residents, making it Florida’s sixth-largest city.

“Retirees are drawn to Port St. Lucie’s warm climate, low cost of living, access to waterways and abundance of medical facilities,” the study says. “The region’s schools and low crime rate also attract families.”

The city is more affordable than South Florida and has a “more relaxed atmosphere” than Miami and Orlando, the study says, but notes, “as Port St. Lucie’s popularity has risen, so too has the cost of housing here.” On the flip side, housing, groceries and dining out are less affordable than in Central and North Florida.

U.S. News & World Report: Ranks Port St. Lucie in top 100 places to live in U.S.

Money magazine: Named Port St. Lucie among 50 best places to live in U.S.

The study notes these attractions:

“Its clean streets and quiet neighborhoods are woven around scenic waterways and lush green golf courses,” the study says, also noting, “locals can sport sandals nearly all year.”

U.S. News & World Report, founded in 1948, has been publishing rankings for 30 years. Its “best cities to retire” ranking is “intended to help readers make the most informed decisions when choosing where to settle down.”

Best places to retire: Florida cities

Fourteen Florida cities made the list. Here are their rankings:

  • 1: Naples
  • 4: Sarasota
  • 7: Jacksonville
  • 17: Pensacola
  • 18: Tampa
  • 19: Port St. Lucie
  • 20: Melbourne
  • 24: Fort Myers
  • 34: Lakeland
  • 55: Orlando
  • 69: Tallahassee
  • 77: Daytona Beach
  • 81: Ocala
  • 127: Miami

Best places to retire: U.S. cities

These cities were among the top 25:

  • Virginia Beach, Virginia
  • New York City, New York
  • Boise, Idaho
  • Raleigh, North Carolina
  • Huntsville, Alabama
  • Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Fort Wayne, Indiana
  • Green Bay, Wisconsin
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Charleston, South Carolina
  • San Francisco, California
  • South Bend, Indiana
  • Lexington, Kentucky
  • Anchorage, Alaska
  • Seattle, Washington
  • Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  • Omaha, Nebraska

Rachelle Barrett is TCPalm’s general assignment reporter. Contact her at rachelle.barrett@tcpalm.com.

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