OLYMPIA, WA – The Pacific Northwest is home to the worst states for military retirees, with Washington state coming in No. 50 and Oregon ranking No. 51, according to a new study by WalletHub, a personal finance platform and app.
WalletHub compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across three broad categories: economic environment, quality of life, and health care in its “2025’s Best & Worst States for Military Retirees.”
Rankings were also based on several subcategories, including retirement-friendliness toward veterans, job opportunities for veterans, and housing affordability.
“What we found once we ranked them all is that out of the 51, Washington ranked 50th, ahead of only Oregon,” said Chip Lupo, WalletHub analyst. “So, now maybe the Pacific Northwest is not a very good place to go if you’re a military retiree.”
Lupo told The Center Square he was surprised at how poorly Washington ranked because the state is home to many military installations, including Joint Base Lewis-McChord, the largest joint base in the nation.
According to the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington has more than 502,000 veterans and 65,000 active-duty military personnel.
“When I was in school, we were always getting kids or losing kids who were transferring or who were being deployed out to Fort Lewis [JBLM] all the way across the country and a major military installation,” Lupo added. “So, that surprised me that they would be that low on the list.”
He noted the Evergreen State didn’t fare well in several categories.
“I see very low numbers in the number of VA health facilities for the number of veterans, and 50th out of 51 in the quality of the VA, hospitals,” Lupo explained.
He said Washington also did poorly in the share of veteran-owned businesses.
“Washington was down at the bottom,” Lupo said, noting other states near the bottom in terms of veteran-owned businesses. “Vermont, New Jersey, District of Columbia.”
The state ranked just behind the District of Columbia, California and Oregon in terms of the percentage of homeless veterans.
Washington’s No. 50 ranking is four places lower than its No. 46 ranking in WalletHub’s 2024 study.
According to WalletHub, the five best states for military retirees are South Carolina, Maryland, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Virginia.
The five worst are Oregon, Washington, Vermont, New Jersey and the District of Columbia.
May is Military Appreciation Month. Memorial Day is May 26.
