Rankings Spotlight Affordable Small-Town Retirement

Recent coverage highlights affordable, high-quality retirement options in small Midwestern and Tennessee towns alongside national rankings of top retirement places. Investopedia’s 2025 top-50 list emphasizes affordability and names 10 Midwestern locales with low housing and everyday costs — for example Gregory, South Dakota (median monthly housing $589; median home value $129,000) and affordable markets like Toledo (median home value about $155,200). GOBankingRates’ expanded ranking of America’s safest and wealthiest retirement towns places Pinehurst, North Carolina, at No. 1, adds five new towns to the top 10, includes multiple California entries and finds no Florida towns in the top 50. Tennessee appears in recent features: Paris, TN is promoted as a retirement bargain (median home value near $145,200; monthly housing costs around $643; no state income tax on retirement income and accessible local health care) while Pulaski is noted as an under-the-radar, artsy small town with a lively downtown square. Missouri small towns such as Crystal City and Cameron continue to appeal to retirees with small-town charm, outdoor recreation, lower-than-average home prices and local amenities. Together these reports underscore a trend toward smaller, affordable towns offering quality of life, regional attractions, and strong safety and economic metrics attractive to retirees.