How Friendly Is Missouri For Military Retirees?

Retiring from the military is fraught with complications, and some states make it easier for veterans to put down new roots than others. Missouri ranked 19 in a new study that compared U.S. states on a variety of factors ranging from veterans per capita and the number of Veterans Administration health facilities to job opportunities and state tax policies.

Florida ranked as the best state for military retirees, and Virginia, New Hampshire, Alabama and South Carolina rounded out the top five states. The District of Columbia, Oregon, Vermont, Nevada and New Mexico were at the bottom of the ranking.

When most people retire, it’s because they’ve reached the age where they can take full retirement and Social Security benefits, giving them the flexibility to relax and pursue interests they didn’t have time for in their working careers. WalletHub said service men and women retire, on average, at 45 years of age — 42 for non-disability enlisted personnel — and may face tough challenges when entering the civilian job market.

It’s even worse for retirees struggling with problems such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, disabilities and homelessness, the study’s authors said.

“As such, military retirement can be a far more complicated issue than one might assume, given the extent to which state tax policies on military benefits vary, the relative friendliness of different job markets toward veterans, and other socioeconomic factors,” WalletHub said. “This year, the military’s retirement system is also changing for new recruits and current personnel who opt in, going from a ‘defined benefit’ to a Blended Retirement System that awards funds not just based on years served but also matches contributions to a Thrift Savings Plan.”

For its study on the best and worst states for military retirees, WalletHub looked at 27 metrics across three main areas — the economic environment, quality of life and the availability of health care. Read more about the methodology.

Among the findings:

Alaska, Montana, Maine, Virginia and South Carolina have the most military veterans per capita, respectively.

The fewest veterans per capita are in the states of New York, New Jersey, the District of Columbia, California and Utah, respectively.

New York, Wyoming, California, Montana and Texas, respectively have the most VA facilities per number of veterans.

The fewest VA facilities per number of veterans are in Rhode Island, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Nevada and Connecticut, respectively.

Mississippi, Virginia, Alabama, Iowa and Minnesota have the lowest rates of homelessness among veterans, respectively.

The highest rates of homelessness among veterans are in the District of Columbia, California and Hawaii (three-way tie), Oregon and Nevada, respectively.

Maine, Vermont, Kentucky, North Dakota and Alabama, respectively, have the most job opportunities for veterans.

The fewest job opportunities for veterans are in Rhode Island, the District of Columbia, Arizona, Alabama and West Virginia, respectively.

Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota and South Dakota have the most affordable housing, respectively.

The states with the least affordable housing are, respectively, Hawaii, California, the District of Columbia, New York and Oregon.

The states with the highest percentage of veteran-owned businesses are, respectively, South Carolina, Alabama, Virginia, New Hampshire and Oklahoma.

The states with the lowest percentage of veteran-owned businesses are New York, New Jersey, California, Michigan and the District of Columbia.

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