A new list by U.S. News & World Report ranks Fort Myers, Florida the “7th Best Place to Retire in the United States” for 2021-22.

To find out what matters most when deciding where to retire, a public survey was conducted with individuals from across the United States who are nearing retirement age (45 – 59) as well as those who are already of retirement age (60 +). Additional data sources also include the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sharecare Community Well-Being Index, and U.S. News rankings of the Best Hospitals.

The ranking takes into consideration the United States’ “150 most populous metropolitan areas based on how well they meet Americans' expectations for retirement," with measures including Housing Affordability, Health Care Quality, Retiree Taxes, Desirability, Job Market Ratings, and Overall Happiness.

Happiness is the most heavily weighted of the six factors in the “Best Places to Retire” methodology. Two new factors that U.S. News used to calculate the rankings’ overall happiness scores are Good Air Quality and Low Crime Rates.

In addition to ranking #7 Best Place to Retire, in 2021 Fort Myers also ranked as the #3 Fastest Growing City in the U.S., #7 Best Place to Live in Florida, and the #8 Safest City in the United States. U.S. News also ranks the Downtown Fort Myers’ historic River District as the #1 Attraction in the area.

Whether you’re thinking about retiring or just a change of scenery, consider the many reasons to call Downtown Fort Myers in Southwest Florida your new home!