Pasco Makes ‘Best Places to Retire’ List (Again!)

For the second straight year, Pasco is included on a Forbes list of the “Best Places to Retire” in the U.S.

There are no rankings; the list is presented in alphabetical order. Forbes says the choices were made from almost 1,000 towns and cities, and came from analyzing things like housing costs, taxes, healthcare, crime, air quality, and the risks of natural hazards.

Forbes describes Pasco as a “sun-kissed city of 84,000 on the majestic Columbia River in the Tri-Cities area.” It cites the city’s median home price as $418,000 — that number’s probably a few months old. (I track Pasco home prices every month if you need current numbers.) Forbes also says Pasco’s cost of living is 3% below the national average, which is in line with my data about the Tri-Cities overall cost of living.

Among Pasco’s “pros” for retirees, Forbes includes:

• Serious crime rate below national average.
• Very comfortable climate and good air quality.
• Relatively low FEMA natural hazard risk.
• Ratio of primary care physicians per capita at national average.
• No state income tax.

Among the “cons” are:

• Not very walkable or bikeable.
• “Excise tax” of 7% on certain investment gains above $278,000, and 9.9% on gains above $1 million.
• State estate tax.

I’ve always said that honors like this are about the Tri-Cities as a whole, and I do believe that our entire area is a good place to retire. But to Forbes credit, the data they used are specific to Pasco — so three cheers for the city of Pasco, two years in a row being recognized as a great place to retire!

If you’re thinking about retiring in Pasco and want to see what’s on the market right now, you can see all current Pasco homes for sale on our sister site, Tri-CitiesHomes.com. Just want to talk about Pasco and learn more about the area? Drop me a note anytime.