Retirement Is Looking Even Worse for Americans

A trifecta of grim news for the nation, women, and especially New Yorkers.

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By Suzanne Woolley

March 1, 2016 at 12:00 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

New York has the dubious distinction of being the worst state to retire in. But that doesn't leave the other 49 off the hook.

Big tax burdens and a high cost of living sank the Empire State to the bottom of the heap, according to consumer website Bankrate.com and its 2016 report on the best and worst states for retirement. The best state? Wyoming, which had the overall highest score based on the report's six measures: cost of living, taxes, health care, crime, weather, and the overall well-being of residents.

Regardless of which state you call home, if you're a woman, your chances of living in poverty when you pass 65 are alarmingly high, according to a study released by the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS). And a third report, this one a survey, reveals that, man or woman, East Coast or West Coast, it just doesn't matter: Most Americans are nervous about what quality of life they'll have in retirement.

Here are highlights (if you can call them that) from Tuesday's hat trick of retirement news: