North Carolina is one of the top states in the US for retired veterans. This is why
After retiring from the military, some service members may have a difficult time acclimating to civilian life.
But a new report shows that retirees are thriving in North Carolina.
The state is the ninth-best for veterans, according to a report from WalletHub, a personal finance website.
To rank each location, WalletHub compared them across three categories: economic environment, quality of life and health care.
According to the report, North Carolina received its lowest marks in health care, at No. 21 overall. The ranking was based on factors such as quality of VA hospitals, physicians per capita and mental health counselors per capita.
Of the 16 VA hospitals in North Carolina, just three received ratings of nine or 10 from more than 80% of their patients in 2021, according to the most recent data available from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The state ranked 16th in quality of life, a position based on metrics like share of veterans, quality of public university system and the share of the population 40 and older.
More than 700,000 veterans call North Carolina home, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Four North Carolina schools cracked the top 100 in WalletHub’s College and University Rankings released in October.
North Carolina was ranked the highest in economic environment, at No. 5. The score was calculated based on factors like tax friendliness, share of veteran-owned businesses and job opportunities for veterans.
WalletHub indicated that North Carolina is 20th-most tax-friendly state, with a combined state and local tax rate on median income households of 10.5%.
One in 10 businesses in North Carolina is owned by military retirees, according to the online business directory Veteran Owned Businesses, a site that provides resources for veteran business owners.
Florida was ranked No. 1 on the report, followed by South Carolina, Virginia, Minnesota and Connecticut.
This story was originally published May 23, 2023 at 12:13 PM with the headline "North Carolina is one of the top states in the US for retired veterans. This is why."
