Daytona Beach, FL - With May being Military Appreciation Month and Memorial Day just a couple of days away, one new study tries to find the best state for military retirees.
And it just so happens that Florida ranked at number two overall.
That's the story from WalletHub's recent study titled "2019’s Best & Worst States for Military Retirees," which ranked the Sunshine State just below the top.
According to WalletHub, people tend to view retirement as the end of the line - a time for rest and relaxation.
However, the story can sometimes be different for those retiring from military service who have to "reassimilate" back into civilian life.
Especially since most military retirees haven't hit 50 yet.
"The average officer is only 45-years-old upon retirement from service," said Jill Gonzalez, analyst for WalletHub.
And some of those who reenter the job market may face tough challenges through their transition into civilian life while others may struggle from other challenges such as post traumatic stress disorder, disability or homelessness.
Therefore, military retirement can be a far more complicated step than one may think.
So, with that in mind, this study sought to compare the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on their ability to provide a comfortable military retirement.
29 different key metrics were analyzed, ranging from veterans per capita to number of Veteran Affairs health facilities to job opportunities.
Three key dimensions were also broken down, those being economic environment, quality of life and health care.
When looking at the different rankings, Florida is found to have rank in the top 10 in three different categories nationwide.
The state ranked the highest in share of population aged 40 & older at 5th place overall, but it also ranked 6th in the number of VA facilities available.
"There's a good amount of VA benefit administration facilities within the state," said Gonzalez. "That's another good thing because people can seek out in-person help."
Florida is also ranked 13th and 14th out of 51 for veterans per capita and veteran job opportunities, respectively.
The ranking for job opportunities is also due in part to a large number of veteran-owned businesses in the state.
"A lot of these people have to go back into the workforce," said Gonzalez.
Virginia came in at number one on the list with the District of Columbia landing at number 51.
DC was also locked in a four-way tie for the highest percentage of homeless veterans along with Oregon, Hawaii and California.
The other top five states include Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
