Sure, a state like Alaska or South Dakota may rate well by some measures. But then you have to live there and discover all the hidden negatives not in the ratings formula. These “best states” are of limited value.

Florida is best! Unless losing everything to a hurricane ( or paying super high, and unrated, flood insurance).

Then there is the whole question of where in the state you are going to live. States are huge. Take for instance my state of Michigan. Living in the UP is way different than Detroit.

Even deciding to live in Western Michigan in a beach community… there are hundreds of miles of beach with widely varying communities.

Deciding where to retire takes a lot of individualized research.