❌ Not one New Jersey town or city makes the top 500 in U.S. News’ 2027 Best Places to Retire.
❗ The state’s highest-ranked place comes in 566th overall, and Atlantic City is 859th.
➡️ U.S. News cites living costs, housing and taxes, and ranks 14 NJ places on a separate list.
The rankings for U.S. News & World Report’s 2027 Best Places to Retire are out, and New Jersey's towns and cities don't even make the top 500.
Affordability is the biggest knock against retirement in New Jersey, which has the nation's highest property taxes.
New Jersey residents shouldn't take the rankings personally, said Megan Wood, assistant managing editor of real estate for U.S. News. The Northeast as a whole was largely absent from the rankings due to high living costs, expensive housing, and state taxes.
She said other cities throughout the country were more competitive for retirement.
"It doesn't make New Jersey not a great place to live. Just with the data that we looked at, it makes retirement in those key areas a little more difficult," Wood said.
Atlantic City ranks 14th in New Jersey, but 859th in the nation
However, there's a separate list for retirees who still want to call the Garden State home. The report includes the top 14 places to retire in New Jersey; rankings are largely based on quality of life, cost of living and housing affordability, health care, and tax friendliness.
To put things in perspective, Atlantic City ranks 14th in the state but 859th in the nation. Even the highest-ranked place to retire in New Jersey only comes in 566th overall.
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