2017’s Best & Worst States for Military Retirees

MILITARY RETIREES SHARE OF THE DAY

Retirement is typically viewed as the end of the line — a time for rest, relaxation and the pursuit of interests long ago put on the back burner. But the narrative is far different for military retirees who must deal with the trials of reassimilation to civilian life. For starters, the average officer is only 45 years old — 42 for nondisability enlisted personnel — upon retirement from service. Many of those who reenter the job market face tough challenges during the transition while others struggle with more difficult problems, such as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, disability and homelessness.

As such, military retirement can be a far more complicated issue than one might assume, given the extent to which state tax policies on military benefits vary, the relative friendliness of different job markets toward veterans, and a variety of other socioeconomic factors. This year especially is one of significant change for our troops, as the military pension system undergoes a major overhaul to include a “blended” benefits package that combines a smaller pension check with an IRA contribution.

With that in mind, WalletHub’s analysts sought to help ease the burden on our nation’s military community by comparing the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on their conduciveness to a comfortable military retirement. Our analysis uses a data set of 22 key metrics, ranging from veterans per capita to number of VA health facilities to job opportunities for veterans. Read on for our findings, commentary from a panel of researchers and a full description of our methodology.

TSgt Joe C. SFC William Farrell PO1 William "Chip" Nagel LTC Stephen F.] SGT Robert George SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas Maj Marty Hogan MSG Andrew White SGT (Join to see) SFC Dave Beran SGT Philip Roncari SPC Margaret Higgins MSgt Jason McClish SrA Christopher Wright SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth SSG Derrick L. Lewis MBA, C-HRM SP5 Michael Rathbun SGT Michael Thorin SFC Shirley Whitfield SSG Diane R.