Last year, a total of 2.1 million Americans ages 65 and up relocated; of those 1 in 5 crossed state lines, according to a report by HireAHelper, an online platform for moving services.

The report, “The New Retirement Map: Where Retirement-Age Americans Moved in 2025 and Why,” showed South Carolina topped the list of states showing the largest net gains —the number of retirees moving in minus the number of those moving out. The Palmetto State was followed by Texas, North Carolina and Tennessee. The appeal of those states, the report said, included moderate housing costs and lower tax burdens.

Massachusetts, on the other hand, appeared on the list of states showing net losses among retirement-age adults, ranking fourth in that category. California was first, followed by New York and Illinois. The oft-cited culprits: high cost of living, expensive housing, taxes, and — for northern states — winter.

What that means in numbers looks like this: In 2023, the Bay State had a net loss of 3,491 older residents, according to figures from the Donahue Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst; 16,261 people, age 60 and over, moved in, while 19,752 left.

Jennifer Benson, director of the Massachusetts AARP in Boston, says the Bay State has much to offer retirees — and more work to do for them.

In the latter category, Benson said the Bay State clearly needs more accessible and affordable housing to help older adults age in place, an issue AARP has long advocated. Needed improvements to public transportation, she added, would also help many seniors live independently longer. On other fronts Massachusetts AARP has backed initiatives to lower prescription drug costs, increase support for home care, and address persistent problems at long-term care facilities.

On the plus side, Benson says Massachusetts has top-tier hospitals, extensive cultural offerings, opportunities for outdoor recreation, and a landscape that spans mountains and beaches. Age-friendly cities and towns across the state, she said, have become more livable and walkable for older adults. Senior Centers provide crucial social connection, and public libraries and educational institutions offer lifelong learning. At AARP events she attends, she said, it’s obvious that “people are hungry for those connections.”

Researchers who study aging see a mixed picture. For well-off retirees who can afford Greater Boston’s cost of living, the area may indeed be a haven, according to Deborah Carr, a professor of sociology at Boston University who studies aging.

But Carr, who studies aging, says income inequality in the U.S. still leaves many lower-income retirees struggling. Her 2019 book, “Golden Years? Social Inequality in Later Life,” looked at how race, gender, and economic hardship exacerbate wide disparities in health and well-being between rich and poor Americans. There are still two paths to aging in this country, she said, and Massachusetts, especially in the Boston area, “isn’t getting less expensive.”

Asked if climate change and political divisions will attract more retirees to Massachusetts, Carr said those are questions to watch. “I don’t think we know yet how that will unfold.”

The economics of retirement are an ongoing focus of study at the University of Massachusetts in Boston and at Boston College.

The Gerontology Institute at UMass Boston developed the Elder Index—elderindex.org—an extensive database that can be used by individuals as a financial planning resource and by policymakers as a research tool. The index shows the income needed to cover expenses such as housing, health care, food and transportation in counties in Massachusetts and beyond.

A report this year based on Elder Index data noted that the cost of living in Massachusetts “has increased substantially in recent years for older adults, especially for renters. Findings suggest that over 300,00 Massachusetts residents age 65 or older live with incomes below what it takes to cover essentials.”

The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College focuses on topics related to financial security such as Social Security, pensions, and wealth gaps.

A May 2025 report, “Economic Insecurity for Older Adults in a High-Cost State,” found the state’s “extraordinarily high cost of living and persistent economic inequality” forced many older Bay Staters to adjust to a lower standard of living to get by.

In keeping with its mission to combine research and advocacy, the report included two policy recommendations. The first was to broaden the eligibility for property tax deferrals for seniors; the second, to create an automatic-IRA in Massachusetts aimed at reducing the number of workers who retire with no savings.