There are many factors to consider when deciding where to spend the golden years of retirement and Bankrate, a web-based financial resource, has gathered data to help retirees make that decision.

Lifestyle comes into play, but so do practicalities such as how to live on a fixed income and how to take care of health needs. With that in mind, Bankrate conducted its annual retirement study, which ranks the 50 states using data about health care quality, tax rates, weather, cost of living and crime rate.

It included a wellness score from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which measures Americans' perceptions of their overall quality of life by asking about things such as their sense of purpose and social relationships.

Following are the 10 states, in descending order, that ranked last on the happy retirement list:


10. Maryland


Maryland may have nice beaches, but it has a high cost of living, high taxes and an above-average crime rate.

 

9. Connecticut

Like Maryland, Connecticut has one of the highest costs of living and tax burdens.

 

8. Alaska

Frigid weather, a high violent crime rate and high cost of living put Alaska among the states where a pleasant retirement can be a problem.

 

7. Oklahoma

The state's health care system was ranked the worst in the country, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Residents give the state low marks for feeling an overall sense of purpose in their lives and for liking their community and feeling engaged in it.

 

6. Hawaii

Hawaii may be beautiful, but paying for retirement here is a problem. Honolulu is the second most expensive place to live, next to New York City, and it has the second-highest state income tax rate at 11 percent. Health care also is more expensive than in almost every other state.

 

5. Louisiana

The state recorded the fifth-highest violent crime rate in the country in 2015 and it had a murder rate double the national average in 2014. It also ranks next to last for health-care services.

 

4. Arkansas

Arkansas has the ninth-highest violent crime rate in the nation and the sixth-lowest score for health-care quality with higher than average hospital admissions for hypertension and diabetes. 

 

3. Oregon

Oregon has a high cost of living, especially for housing, and a high tax burden. It also has less than ideal weather.

 

2. West Virginia

West Virginia received the worst scores in the country for personal well-being by the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. It was ranked last in four categories: sense of purpose, social relationships, community and physical health. The state had high hospitalization rates for such things as hypertension and diabetes.

 

1. New York

New York is the most expensive place to live in the country at more than twice the national average and its state and local taxes also are the highest in the nation. Property taxes rank fourth highest among all the states.