Retire. Move to Devon.

Where’s the best place in the UK to live in retirement?

It turns out the answer might be to move to Devon when you retire.

If you want a long, healthy and safe retirement, you should move to Devon, according to a new league table of pensioner wellbeing developed by Prudential.

In fact, the South West scores incredibly well in terms of pensioner wellbeing; six of the top 20 counties for pensioner wellbeing are in the South West of England, with Devon coming out on top of the rankings, Dorset in second place, Gloucestershire seventh, Wiltshire 12^th, Somerset 13^th and Cornwall 19^th.

The pensioner wellbeing league table from Prudential rates each county against a number of indicators including the ratio of healthcare workers per head of population, the length of time a pensioner can expect to live once they’ve retired, and the annual incidences of crime per thousand members of the county’s population.

Outside of the West Country, Norfolk and Powys also rank highly in the league table. Six counties in the South East of England make the top 20, which overall is made up of 17 English counties and three Welsh.

Deciding where to live in later life is an important part of the retirement planning journey.

Retirement planning is about much more than simply making sure you have the income to enjoy the lifestyle you choose once you finish work.

Devon, with its low crime rate, high life expectancy and above average number of healthcare workers per thousand people could well be the answer.

Dorset is another good option.

Dorset’s pensioners have the longest life expectancy of any county in England and Wales – the average 65 year old woman will live for another 23 years and a 65 man another 20 years.

Have you decided where you plan to live in retirement?

Will you consider other factors in addition to crime rates, access to healthcare workers, and life expectancy?