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The Midwest, which has long enjoyed a reputation for overall affordability, can now humbly brag it’s the ideal region for a low-cost retirement. A new MoneyLion analysis identifying the nation’s 30 safest and most affordable retirement towns revealed the Midwest led most of the ranking with 20 towns in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois among more states.
To find these towns, MoneyLion first defined “retirement towns” as cities with a total population of 7,500 to 250,000 and at least 20% of the population ages 65-plus. We sourced the average home value from the Zillow Home Value Index (May 2026) and calculated the total cost of living using each city’s combined average mortgage and expenditure costs. The FBI’s Crimes Known to Law Enforcement was utilized when sourcing property and violent crime rates per 1,000 residents for each city. We scored and weighted the violent crime rate at 1.00, property crime rate at 1.00 and cost of living at 2.00. These scores were summed and sorted to rank the safest, most affordable retirement towns.
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Key Findings
Poplar Bluff, Missouri, is the safest and most affordable retirement town. The total cost of living annually is $33,547. It is the only Missouri town to crack the top 30.
12 Ohio retirement towns, the most out of any U.S. state, were identified as the safest and most affordable. The towns and their ranks are as follows: Mayfield Heights (#2), Parma Heights (#4), Olmsted Falls (#6), Broadview Heights (#7), Avon Lake (#15), Highland Heights (#16), Brook Park (#18), Brecksville (#20), Vermilion (#21), Canfield (#24), Bryan (#28) and Aurora (#29).
Five towns boast a total cost of living under $35,000 annually. From highest to lowest, they are Bedford, Indiana ($34,888); Poplar Bluff ($33,547; Bryan ($33,144); Weirton, West Virginia ($32,787); and Hibbing, Minnesota ($31,302).
The Midwest takes the lead with 20 of America’s most affordable and safest retirement towns. The total cost of living does not exceed $55,000 annually in these locales and the average home value starts at $164,281.
See which retirement towns rank among the 30 safest and most affordable in the United States.
1. Poplar Bluff, Missouri
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.37
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 2.11
Annual cost of living: $33,547
Average home value: $172,206
2. Mayfield Heights, Ohio
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.20
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 2.98
Annual cost of living: $36,824
Average home value: $240,913
3. Bedford, Indiana
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.50
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 2.52
Annual cost of living: $34,888
Average home value: $209,174
4. Parma Heights, Ohio
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.29
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 3.32
Annual cost of living: $36,177
Average home value: $224,753
5. Sunbury, Pennsylvania
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.53
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 2.42
Annual cost of living: $35,873
Average home value: $180,717
6. Olmsted Falls, Ohio
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.00
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 3.13
Annual cost of living: $43,627
Average home value: $331,243
7. Broadview Heights, Ohio
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.05
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 1.01
Annual cost of living: $50,329
Average home value: $428,715
8. Lowell, Indiana
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.26
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 2.01
Annual cost of living: $45,401
Average home value: $335,415
9. Round Lake Park, Illinois
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.90
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.90
Annual cost of living: $37,933
Average home value: $229,228
10. Murrysville, Pennsylvania
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.24
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 2.32
Annual cost of living: $47,140
Average home value: $362,398
11. Dyer, Indiana
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.12
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 3.44
Annual cost of living: $47,063
Average home value: $366,461
12. Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.87
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 2.35
Annual cost of living: $35,601
Average home value: $204,557
13. Pitman, New Jersey
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.22
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 2.86
Annual cost of living: $48,969
Average home value: $369,848
14. Tuscumbia, Alabama
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.65
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 4.45
Annual cost of living: $36,445
Average home value: $201,179
15. Avon Lake, Ohio
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.19
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 2.90
Annual cost of living: $51,910
Average home value: $456,317
16. Highland Heights, Ohio
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.00
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 4.44
Annual cost of living: $50,691
Average home value: $438,745
17. Trenton, Michigan
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.34
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 5.42
Annual cost of living: $39,939
Average home value: $252,358
18. Brook Park, Ohio
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.55
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 5.76
Annual cost of living: $35,515
Average home value: $220,377
19. Hibbing, Minnesota
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.63
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 6.66
Annual cost of living: $31,302
Average home value: $164,281
20. Brecksville, Ohio
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.07
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 3.06
Annual cost of living: $54,227
Average home value: $489,177
21. Vermilion, Ohio
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.47
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 5.60
Annual cost of living: $38,223
Average home value: $263,357
22. Tavares, Florida
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.54
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 2.43
Annual cost of living: $45,228
Average home value: $322,892
23. Vero Beach, Florida
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.45
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 2.72
Annual cost of living: $48,369
Average home value: $380,702
24. Canfield, Ohio
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.53
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 3.43
Annual cost of living: $44,528
Average home value: $349,676
25. Hot Springs Village, Arkansas
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.88
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 1.89
Annual cost of living: $42,863
Average home value: $308,558
26. Lumberton, Texas
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.49
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 4.89
Annual cost of living: $41,312
Average home value: $282,630
27. Maryville, Illinois
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.60
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 2.88
Annual cost of living: $45,510
Average home value: $337,389
28. Bryan, Ohio
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.58
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 7.47
Annual cost of living: $33,144
Average home value: $192,924
29. Aurora, Ohio
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.17
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 3.81
Annual cost of living: $52,838
Average home value: $462,804
30. Weirton, West Virginia
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 1.38
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 3.31
Annual cost of living: $32,787
Average home value: $151,732
Methodology: For this study, MoneyLion analyzed cities across the United States to find the safest and most affordable retirement towns. Retirement towns are defined as cities with a total population of 7,500 to 250,000 and at least 20% population ages 65 and over. Using the U.S. Census ACS retirement towns were identified along with their total population, population ages 65 and over, total households, and median household income. The average single-family home value was sourced from Zillow Home Value Index for May 2026. Assuming a 10% down payment and using the national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate of 6.49%, as sourced from the Federal Reserve Economic Data on 6/30/26, the average mortgage can be calculated for each city. The average cost of living indexes were sourced from Sperling's BestPlaces and using the national average expenditure costs, as sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, the average expenditure costs can be calculated for each city. Using the average mortgage and expenditure costs, the total cost of living was calculated for each city. The property crimes and violent crimes reported were sourced from the FBI's Crimes Known to Law Enforcement for each city. Any city without data was removed for this study. The crime rate per 1,000 residents was calculated for each city. The violent crime rate per 1,000 was scored and weighted at 1.00, the property crime rate per 1,000 was scored and weighted at 1.00, the necessities cost of retirement was scored and weighted at 2.00. The top 100 cities were kept for this study, and all the scores were summed and sorted to show the safest and most affordable retirement towns in America. All data is up to date as of June 30, 2026.
Editor’s note: Photos are for representational purposes only and might not reflect the exact locations listed in this article.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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