Eleven states plus the District of Columbia may cause the most economic pain for future retirees, says a new national report.
Nearly every state falls short on some factor that makes it desirable for future retirees, but 11 plus the District of Columbia ranked the lowest on potential economic pressures, says the National Institute on Retirement Security’s analysis.
Its report, the Financial Security Scorecard: A State-by-State Analysis of Economic Pressures Facing Future Retirees, evaluated eight variables to develop the ranking.
For potential retirement income, NIRS evaluated the percentage of private sector workers participating in retirement plans, the averaged 401(k) balance and the marginal tax rate on pension income.
For key retiree costs for health care and housing, it considered the averaged out-of-pocket expenditures for Medicare patients, the average Medicaid spending per elderly patient, and the share of older households with housing costs greater than 30 percent of their income.
For labor market conditions for older workers, it looked at the unemployment rate of people 55 and older, and the same group's median hourly earnings.
The study ranked and scored all the states for 2012, 2007 and 2002. The best potential score was "10," but no state achieved a "10" overall or for retirement income, costs or labor market conditions. Wyoming, which, got an overall score of "9," was the state judged to be the most desirable for future retirees.
The states in 2012 with the lowest overall ranking based on potential economic pressures for future retirees are:
Arizona, Score: 4
District of Columbia, Score: 4
Georgia, Score: 4
Maine, Score: 4
Michigan, Score: 4
Nevada, Score: 4
New Jersey, Score: 4
New Mexico, Score: 4
North Carolina, Score: 4
California, Score: 3
Florida, Score: 3
South Carolina, Score: 3
For more information on the report, visit http://www.nirsonline.org.