John S Kiernan, Managing Editor, May 24, 2021

As military personnel retire this year, some of whom will be the last American forces withdrawn from Afghanistan, they may find it difficult to readjust to civilian life.

For example, the U.S. is still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more Americans than World War II did. Plus, the high unemployment rate caused by COVID-19 may stand as an obstacle to any former military personnel looking to get civilian jobs.

Even without a pandemic, retirement from the military is always difficult, with many retirees facing major struggles including Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, disability and homelessness.

These veterans must also consider how state tax policies on military benefits vary, along with the relative friendliness of different job markets and other socioeconomic factors, when choosing a state in which to settle down.

In order to help ease the burden on our nation’s military community, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on their ability to provide a comfortable military retirement. Our analysis uses a data set of 30 key metrics, ranging from veterans per capita to number of VA health facilities to job opportunities for veterans.

Source: 2021’s Best & Worst States for Military Retirees