Best Places To Retire In 2025: Greenville And Other Surprisingly Affordable Gems

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

60% : Good retiree tax climate: State has flat 3.07% income tax and excludes Social Security benefits and most retirement income.
55% : Good state tax climate for retirees; state income tax just lowered to a flat 4.25% (and is scheduled to drop to 3.99% in 2026) with Social Security benefits exempt.
55% : Good retiree tax climate: State income tax is a flat 5.49% after $18,000 standard deduction for couple and exemption for Social Security plus up to $65,000 per person of retirement income.
55% : Flat state income tax of 2.5%, with Social Security exempt and no state estate/inheritance tax.
54% : Con: So-so retiree state tax climate; marginal state income tax tops out at 5.58% for couples with taxable income above $46,000 (but is no longer levied on Social Security benefits).
53% : State income tax is a flat rate of 5.39% -- with planned drops in future years -- after $24,000 standard deduction for a couple, with Social Security plus up to $65,000 per person of retirement income exempt. Cons: Serious crime rate somewhat above national average.
53% : Con: Marginal state income tax reaches 6.6% for a couple with taxable income of just $60,000. Sunny city of 82,000 on the sweeping Columbia River in the Tri-Cities area, 225 miles southeast of Seattle.
52% : While dropping, state income tax is still a relatively high 6.2% for couples with taxable income about $17,830 after federal standard deduction (but no tax on Social Security and $10,000 per person of other retirement income).
52% : Good retiree tax climate; flat state income tax of 4.0%, with Social Security, plus up to $31,100 per person of retirement-type income exempt.
52% : No state sales tax, no state estate/inheritance tax, no state income tax on Social Security, state income tax breaks on pension income.
51% : Difficult retiree tax climate: Depending on income, Social Security is taxed as part of progressive state income tax that hits 9.85% for taxable income above $330,410 for a couple, with a 1% surcharge on investment income over $1 million. Lively South Texas city of 1.5 million, country's seventh-largest city by population.
50% : State income tax is a flat rate of 3.07% with Social Security and most retirement income exempt. Cons: State inheritance tax hits entire estate and all heirs other than a spouse.
50% : Good state tax climate; state income tax is now a flat 3.8%, with no tax on Social Security or other retirement income, and no estate/inheritance tax.
49% : Good retiree tax climate: flat state income tax of 2.5%, with Social Security exempt and no state estate/inheritance tax.
49% : No state tax on Social Security or estates.
48% : Social Security still partially taxed.
48% : State income tax rate tops out at 5.75% for couples with taxable income at just $17,000, but no state tax on Social Security, estates or inheritances.
48% : State income tax rate tops out at 5.75% for couples with taxable income at just $17,000, but no state tax on Social Security, estates or inheritances.
46% : Top state income tax rate, which covers most filers, just lowered to 4.70%, with no taxation of Social Security.
43% : Fairly good retiree tax climate; state income tax tops out at 2.30% for couple with taxable income above $275,100, after federal standard deduction.

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