What are the best places to retire in the US? This Idaho city made Forbes’ list
Choosing where to spend your retirement is a big decision.
With countless options across the United States, it can be hard to pick a place to settle down.
Forbes recently released its list of the 25 best places to enjoy retirement in 2025 to aid your decision making.
The list differs from Forbes’ ranking of the best places to retire overall by focusing on locales ripe with recreation and entertainment opportunities for retirees rather than economic factors.
One Idaho city made the list. Here’s where — and why.
Where are the best places in the US for enjoying retirement?
To determine the best places to enjoy retirement, Forbes said it screened nearly 1,000 cities across the United States with populations of at least 10,000 residents.
The publication narrowed down its list of candidates by focusing on “metrics that affect the chances for a healthy and happy retirement,” including air quality, crime rates, the availability of primary care doctors and walkability.
Forbes then screened the remaining cities based on how well they supported leisure pursuits, looking at six main categories:
- Arts and culture
- Fine dining
- Lifelong learning
- Outdoor activities on water
- Outdoor activities on land
- Golf
What’s the best Idaho city to enjoy retirement?
According to Forbes, Coeur d’Alene. is the top place in Idaho to spend your golden years.
The Kootenai County seat is about a 40-minute drive from Spokane, Washington. It takes about seven hours to drive from Boise to Coeur d’Alene.
Coeur d’Alene had an estimated population of 58,195 people in 2025, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and Coeur d’Alene Press archives.
“Mountains and water, including 25-mile-long Lake Coeur d’Alene stretching to the south, make this city 300 miles east of Seattle a popular location for fishing, boating, swimming, hiking and skiing,” Forbes senior contributor William P. Barrett wrote.
Other options for outdoor recreation include Coeur d’Alene National Forest, Lake Parkway State Park and the nearby Coeur D’Alene Mountains.
Forbes also highlighted the low crime rate in Coeur d’Alene, as well as the Idaho city’s good air quality and number of primary care physicians per capita.
“The city is very bikeable, although not very walkable,” Barrett said.
While winters can get pretty chilly in Coeur d’Alene, there are plenty of options for cold-weather recreation, with numerous ski resorts surrounding the Northern city.
Is Coeur d’Alene an affordable place to retire?
Coeur d’Alene didn’t rank among the cheaper options on Forbes’ list, but it wasn’t one of the costliest cities either.
The median home price in the Idaho city is $581,000, 37% above the national median of $423,000, Forbes said, adding that the cost of living is 16% above the national average.
Idaho also has a lower tax burden than other states.
The Gem State doesn’t have gift or inheritance taxes, and its estate tax for deaths expired in 2004, according to the Idaho State Tax Commission.
Where are the best places to retire in the West?
Forbes narrowed down its list of the top spots to enjoy your retirement to 25 cities across the nation, listed alphabetically.
Only 16 states were represented on the list in 2025.
Here are the other cities in the Western United States made the list:
- Ashland, Oregon
- Bend, Oregon
- Eugene, Oregon
- San Francisco
- Walla Walla, Washington
This story was originally published October 13, 2025 at 4:00 AM with the headline "What are the best places to retire in the US? This Idaho city made Forbes’ list."