Walnut Creek Among Top 10 Cities For Retirement 2020

WALNUT CREEK, CA — A new study by SmartAsset has named Walnut Creek among the top 10 places in the country for retirees to live and work.

The study is based on the fact that, while some seniors plan to spend their retirement golfing or playing pickle ball, a growing number of retirees want to work — at least part time.

Walnut Creek ranked as fifth in the top 10 best places for retirees to live and work. How did Walnut Creek rise into the top 10? According to SmartAsset, "More than 29% of the population in Walnut Creek is 65 or older, the second-highest percentage in this study. Walnut Creek is in the East Bay area, not far from Berkeley and Oakland. That proximity to culture – from sports, to art, to music – will be a major plus for anyone who chooses to retire in Walnut Creek. Walnut Creek is a safe place to live, too. There were just 154 incidents of violent crime per 100,000 residents, a rate that puts it safely and squarely within the top 100 of this study for that metric."

A 2019 AARP study found that more than 20 percent of people age 65 and older are working or looking for work, compared with just 10 percent in 1985.

SmartAsset compared 525 U.S. cities across eight metrics, including the unemployment rate for seniors, the estimated tax burden for seniors, crime rates and access to important amenities like medical centers and retirement communities.

Only one other city broke into the top 10 ranking, and that's Newport Beach.

Where's the top place to retire? According to SmartAsset, that would be Fort Myers.

See the full SmartAsset report.

— Patch editors D'Ann Lawrence White and Bea Karnes contributed to this story