Salt Lake City rates poorly as a place to retire

Salt Lake City ranks poorly among major American cities to retire in, according to the latest "Best Places to Retire" ratings by U.S. News and World Report.

Driving the news: Salt Lake City ranked No. 133 among 150 metro areas evaluated in the annual rankings.

• That's down from No. 124 in 2021 and No. 111 in 2020.

Between the lines: Salt Lake's score for access to quality health care dropped from last year, and appears to be driving down its ranking for retirees.

• U.S. News used its hospital ratings as a factor in the retirement ranking, calculating the quantity and quality of nearby hospitals in each city.

The big picture: Many of the cities that leap-frogged Salt Lake City in the rankings this year are in the South — and scored much better on housing affordability than Salt Lake City.

Yes, but: Western cities fared much better in the magazine's rankings for the best cities to live for all ages, which were released in May.

• Salt Lake ranked No. 23, with high scores for "quality of life" and "value" (whether average incomes can cover housing costs).