The top 10 places to retire

Household money

03 September 2016 | 3 Comments

Looking for your ideal place to retire? Check out these 10 UK hotspots.

If you want a happy, comfortable retirement you should consider moving to Dorset, according to new research.

The county has been named the best place to retire to by Prudential, closely followed by West Sussex and Herefordshire.

Prudential’s Quality of Retirement Index looks at seven different sets of data to compile the list. This includes access to healthcare, crime levels, average pension income and the weather.

The research also looked into the number of pensioners as a proportion of the county’s populations. The aim here is to establish how many people a pensioner would have to socialise with to minimise the chances of loneliness.

Another ranking is the disability-free life expectancy and Herefordshire came out on top.

Surrey’s pensioners have the highest average annual retirement income at £21,200. However, Powys and Dyfed have the lowest crime rates and Rutland has the highest number of healthcare workers per head of population.

“Our analysis shows that every part of the country has something different to offer when the time comes to give up work,” says Vince Smith-Hughes, a retirement income expert at Prudential.

 But of course for many it simply isn’t possible to up sticks and move somewhere new when they retire.

“Irrespective of where you live, if you are looking to secure a comfortable life in retirement it is vital to plan ahead. Changes to pension rules over recent years have made retirement saving more attractive for many people, so now more than ever, simply saving as much as possible as early as possible in your working life is the best way for most people to build up their retirement income.”

The top 10

10. Surrey

This home county makes it into the top 10 thanks to having the highest average pension income in England and Wales - £21,200 a year and being joint first for sunshine hours. However, if is only seven places off the bottom of the rankings for access to healthcare and it falls outside the top 30 for attracting new pensioners.

9. Norfolk

One of many coastal counties to make the list, Norfolk is ranked in the top 10 for proportion of pensioners, attracting new retirees and the number of hours of sunshine. It is let down by a low ranking for pension income, disability-free life expectancy and access to healthcare.

8. Dyfed

The only Welsh area to make it into the top 10 this coastal area in South West Wales has the joint lowest crime rate in England and Wales and ranks in the top 10 for proportion of pensioners. It drops down the rankings due to a lower average pension income and fewer healthcare workers per head than other places on the list.

7. Rutland

The smallest county in England packs a punch with a top ranking for access to healthcare and pensioners there enjoy the second longest disability-free retirement. It’s hardly surprising then that it is the fifth most popular destination for pensioners moving home.

5. = East Sussex

Home to the popular seaside resorts of Brighton and Eastbourne this county is the only one to rank in the national top 30 in all seven of Prudential’s indicators. It is also joint top for sunshine with the Isle of Wight and West Sussex.

5. = Isle of Wight

Queen Victoria set a trend when she decided to spend the later part of her life at Osborne House on the island. The Isle of Wight is the most popular destination in England and Wales for pensioners moving home. The county also tops the national rankings for the number of pensioners per head of population and is joint top for sunshine hours.

4. Devon

The home of cream tea, beautiful beaches and plenty of sunshine makes this an attractive place to spend your golden years. The county has the third lowest crime rate in England and Wales and in the national top 20 for six out of the seven data sets Prudential looked at.

2. = West Sussex

Ever since the Romans built a palace at Fishbourne, this county has been a popular place to set up home – it ranks as the fourth most popular destination for retirees moving home. Pensioners here have the third highest retirement income in the country. It only missed out on being crowned the winner due to a shortage of healthcare workers compared to Dorset.

2. = Herefordshire

This is the only county in the top five that isn’t located on the south coast. It is one of England’s most rural and sparsely populated counties but residents enjoy the longest disability-free retirements in the country – 13 years. However, it is only 33rd in terms of income and 26th for hours of sunshine.

1. Dorset

Situated on the South Coast and containing a long stretch of the Jurassic Coast Dorset has an ‘all-round appeal to pensioners’, says Prudential’s report. The county is ranked in the top 10 for four of the seven indicators including being the sixth most popular destination for retirees to move to and having the country’s third highest concentration of people over the age of 65.

Health, sunshine and happiness

Here's how the top 10 breaks down in terms of healtcare, crime, income, weather and more.

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