All of us look forward to the day we can finally rest from work. As much as possible, we look forward to a comfortable life when we retire. We don’t need to worry about working to exhaustion just to pay our bills and responsibilities. When we talk about retirement, we become excited about exploring the world to see which is the best place to retire and spend the rest of our lives in peace. Some of us, especially living in the United States,  may think about retiring in Georgia because of its perfect climate and a low population density of residents, especially the senior citizens. Before you actually do it, we advise you to think twice!

Why? It’s because Georgia is not the best place in the country to retire!

You might be wondering why Georgia became one of the worst retirement states in the country when it was one of the top 20 states the American citizens prefer to retire a couple of years ago. However, what you didn’t know is that its ranking has been declining for the last two years. In fact, its ranking plummeted down drastically, it’s now closer to the bottom 50.

What made the ranking change?

Georgia Has One of the Poorest Rating When It Comes to Healthcare

It turns out that Georgia’s ranking plummeted because of the low population density of residents living in the state between ages 65 and up. And to top it all, Georgia receives the poorest rating when it comes to healthcare! Which is a big no-no to you because as a señior citizen and retiree, healthcare is your utmost priority! The state’s performance became even worse based on a new MoneyRate survey, which named Georgia as the sixth worst state to retire across the United States!

The survey’s result was based on several measures and contributing factors.

The survey conducted using at least 5 measures or guidelines in order to determine whether or not a US state is the best place to retire. Here are the following five measures:

• Healthy environment – is the environment of a particular state clean, fresh, and healthy for the retiree to live in? How does it handle solid waste management? Is the pollution level of a state past the threshold level and deemed dangerous? Is the state plunged with infections, diseases, and critical illness?
• Personal Security – how is the crime rate of a particular state? Is there police visibility in its every nook and street? How does the enforcement agency handle the petty crimes of the state? Does the state have state-of-the-art facilities to counter crimes and terrorism?
• Local Economy – does a particular state has stable economic growth? What about its job rate? Are the retirees contented with the government’s subsidy, social security, and the like?
• Popularity or Preferred Place for Older Residence – Are the older residents happy with their retiring place?

The Declining Life Expectancy in Georgia

Even if Georgia remains at the top of the list for having a perfect weather and climate, it didn’t meet the vital requirement and characteristics (as stated above) to become an ideal state to retire. For one, its high property crime rate was alarming to the residence. Because of poor health care, the life expectancy in the state is pretty low. In fact, only a small percentage of Georgia’s population reaches the age of 65 and still alive and kicking. This makes Georgia the least likable place to retire.

However, Georgia remains a tax-friendly state When It Comes  to its Retirees

We’ve now heard why Georgia is one of the less likable states when it comes to retirement. However, if you really love Georgia and you’re still willing it to give some chance, then here are some benefits you can reap as a retiree there. Yes, just because we’ve all heard the horrors and not so great stories of Georgia as the worst retirement state, it doesn’t mean that it didn’t possess any good too. In fact, Georgia remains as the top tax-friendly states when it comes to retirement.

Georgia Remains the Top Tax-Friendly States for Retirees in the USA

So if you’re wary of taxes and you want to enjoy your years of hard-earned money in its full potential, Georgia is a perfect place to stay. Why? It’s because your SS income is already exempted from the state taxes. Its income bracket exemption even goes up to $35,000! And when you reach the age of 65, your income exemption raised up to $65,000 per taxpayer. Imagine the huge amount of money you can save and spend for yourself and your family instead of remitting it to the government!

Your retirement income also includes remuneration for your pensions, dividends, and interest from rental properties.

Georgia May Become a Haven For Retirees Who Don’t Want to Deal with Taxes

This also includes your royalties, capital gains for the first $4,000 of your wages. What’s more, those Georgian retirees at the age of 65 can also file for their property tax exemption and claim their money! So if you want to reap these tax exemption benefits, then you might still want to consider Georgia. However, just be prepared to support your healthcare and you should be fine.