Six Virginia Cities Named Best Places to Retire
U.S. News & World Report included six Virginia communities in its 2027 Best Places to Retire rankings, with Lynchburg placing ninth nationally.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Retirement Planning
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U.S. News & World Report named six Virginia cities to its 2027 Best Places to Retire rankings, which evaluated 859 U.S. communities and published the top 250. Lynchburg ranked No. 9 nationally, while Roanoke, Suffolk, Harrisonburg, Staunton and Chesapeake also made the list.
Why it matters
The rankings weight financial considerations more heavily after a methodology change in 2027, offering retirees in Virginia a benchmark for comparing communities on cost, healthcare and taxes. Quality of life carries the largest single weight in the overall score.
Quality of life received 27% of the overall score, value 24%, healthcare quality and retiree taxes 16% each, senior population and migration 9%, and job market 8%, based on a survey of 3,500 people ages 45 and older conducted in March 2026.
The players
U.S. News & World Report
A U.S. news publication that produces annual rankings of places, schools and products, including its Best Places to Retire list.
The details
Each city received an overall retirement score based on six categories: quality of life, value, healthcare quality, retiree taxes, senior population and migration, and the job market. The category weights were set through an online survey U.S. News conducted in March 2026.
Timeline
March 2026: U.S. News surveyed 3,500 people ages 45 and older to set category weights.
November 4, 2026: The 2027 Best Places to Retire rankings were published.
Market Landscape
U.S. News adjusted its Best Places to Retire methodology in 2027 to weight retirees' financial considerations more heavily. The change places greater emphasis on cost and taxes when comparing communities for retirement.
Retirees comparing Virginia communities can use the published scores to weigh cost, taxes and healthcare access against quality of life. The methodology change gives greater weight to financial factors in retirement location decisions.
The takeaway
Retirees choosing a Virginia city should weigh the financial categories the 2027 methodology emphasizes, including value and retiree taxes, alongside quality of life. Comparing several rankings and local tax rules can clarify which community fits a given budget.
Further reading
For more on comparing retirement costs and communities, explore Retirement Planning coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Daily Progress.
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Would you consider retiring in your own Virginia community?
