Some of the fastest-growing communities in the U.S. aren’t built around schools or playgrounds — they’re designed for retirees.
Often age-restricted to 55 or older, these developments feature amenities like pickleball courts, community centers and golf-cart-friendly streets. Most are located in warm, low-tax states, making them especially attractive to retirees looking to maximize their savings.
As baby boomers continue to leave the workforce, these areas have become popular destinations — with many regularly appearing in rankings of the best places to retire. As a result, they tend to have the highest shares of residents age 65 and older in the country.
One notable example is The Villages in Florida, a sprawling, self-described “active adult community” of roughly 140,000 residents, primarily age 55 and up. It was the fastest-growing U.S. metro area in 2023, according to the Census Bureau.
Other communities, including Sun City West in Arizona and Lady Lake in Florida, are seeing similar growth as they cater to a steadily expanding retiree population.
But just because a community is built for retirement doesn’t mean it’s affordable. In some places, retiring “rich” could require more than $3 million in savings.
How much money it takes to retire ‘rich’
GoBankingRates identified the U.S. places with the highest shares of residents age 65 and older using the latest available Census Bureau data, then calculated the total savings required to cover 25 years of spending at double the average annual expenses for local seniors to estimate how much you’d need to retire comfortably.
Locations include both cities and unincorporated Census Designated Places with at least 15,000 residents.
Estimated living expenses reflect average annual spending on housing, food, transportation, health care and other essentials by households age 65 and older, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data adjusted to the city level using analytics firm Sperling’s BestPlaces cost-of-living index.
Here are 15 places where older adults make up a large share of the population and what it would take to retire “rich” in each one.
1. Sun City West, Arizona
- Share of population age 65 and over: 86%
- Estimated savings needed to retire rich: $2,241,035
2. The Villages, Florida
- Share of population age 65 and over: 85%
- Estimated savings needed to retire rich: $1,784,374
3. Laguna Woods, California
- Share of population age 65 and over: 83%
- Estimated savings needed to retire rich: $3,785,271
4. Green Valley, Arizona
- Share of population age 65 and over: 80%
- Estimated savings needed to retire rich: $1,742,313
5. Sun City, Arizona
- Share of population age 65 and over: 75%
- Estimated savings needed to retire rich: $2,232,022
6. Sun City Center, Florida
- Share of population age 65 and over: 62%
- Estimated savings needed to retire rich: $1,961,631
7. Venice, Florida
- Share of population age 65 and over: 60%
- Estimated savings needed to retire rich: $1,994,679
8. Hot Springs Village, Arkansas
- Share of population age 65 and over: 60%
- Estimated savings needed to retire rich: $1,339,730
9. Englewood, Florida
- Share of population age 65 and over: 59%
- Estimated savings needed to retire rich: $2,000,687
10. Marco Island, Florida
- Share of population age 65 and over: 59%
- Estimated savings needed to retire rich: $2,247,044
11. Naples, Florida
- Share of population age 65 and over: 56%
- Estimated savings needed to retire rich: $2,226,014
12. Punta Gorda, Florida
- Share of population age 65 and over: 54%
- Estimated savings needed to retire rich: $1,646,174
13. Lady Lake, Florida
- Share of population age 65 and over: 52%
- Estimated savings needed to retire rich: $1,844,461
14. Estero, Florida
- Share of population age 65 and over: 51%
- Estimated savings needed to retire rich: $1,958,626
15. Rancho Mirage, California
- Share of population age 65 and over: 50%
- Estimated savings needed to retire rich: $2,742,762
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