REVEALED: The best US cities for retirees – with SEVEN of the top ten places to spend your golden years now in Pennsylvania and just ONE in Florida

Pennsylvania appears to have become popular among retirees, as a new list of the best cities to retire has chosen seven from Pennsylvania for the top ten in the United States.

Meanwhile, the state of Florida — long considered a haven for seniors looking to settle down — has just one city in the top ten.

The list ranked the 150 largest metropolitan areas based on a number of criteria: resident happiness, weather, health care, dining options and tax rates.

Overall “affordability” of food, groceries, utilities and housing costs received the largest share of the rankings.

Pennsylvania’s capital, Harrisburg, topped the list compiled by U.S. News and World Report.

Harrisburg was awarded an average monthly mortgage price of just $945 and an average monthly rent of $1,019; making it friendly to the 17.7 percent of the population over 65 years of age.

It is also a fairly accessible distance from several major cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Washington.

Due to the high weight given to affordability, seven smaller Pennsylvania cities made the top ten.

“As retirees think about where to spend their golden years, they want areas that not only give them the best bang for their buck, but also places where they can live happy, healthy lives,” personal finance analyst Beverly Harzog told me. Insider.

Harrisburg, Reading, Lancaster, Scranton, Allentown, York and Pittsburgh all made the list because of their cost of living.

Youngstown was also in the top ten, as was Pennsylvania’s neighbor Ohio.

While certainly not considered an affordable place to live, New York City also ranked in the top ten for the quality of its hospitals and dining options.

Strangely enough, the state of Florida only has one representative in the top ten: Daytona Beach.

Allentown (pictured) was one of seven Pennsylvania cities to make the top ten

Scranton – known for the TV series The Office – also made it into the top ten

Experts suggest that the frequency of hurricanes and other weather disasters outweighs the state’s relatively low tax rates. A mortgage is cheaper in Daytona Beach than in highly regarded Harrisburg, although rent is slightly higher.

“Over the past year, Americans have observed record high interest rates in the housing market, steadily rising costs of goods and extreme weather patterns impacting our nation’s living conditions,” Harzog added.

It comes after an investigation earlier this year said Florida had been officially usurped as America’s retirement capital after locals complained they had been priced out of the Sunshine State.

Research by financing company Wallet Hub found that Virgina is now the best state to retire in due to its relative affordability and accessible healthcare.

The survey still ranked Florida second, although it marked a decline from last year’s top ranking.

It was followed by Colorado, Wyoming, Delaware, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Minnesota, Idaho and North Dakota.

Florida has been officially usurped as America’s retirement capital by Virginia after locals complained they were being priced out of the Sunshine State

The study assessed affordability, quality of life and access to health care and ranked them across 50 states.

Researchers considered data from several agencies, including the US Census Bureau, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Council for Community and Economic Research.

Virginia came in average in all three areas – ranking 16th for affordability and 11th for both quality of life and health care.

But the consistency across all categories helped it win first place.

Meanwhile, Florida ranked 9th for affordability and 4th for quality of life, but was disappointed by its 28th ranking for health care.

The worst-scoring state was Kentucky, which scored poorly in every category.

This was followed by New Jersey and Mississippi – the latter ranked last for quality of life.