NM 8th worst state for retirees

One economic development strategy that has been floated for New Mexico and the Albuquerque area is to attract retirees. The idea is that retirees have some money and don't cost that much to serve. Their kids are gone, but the oldsters still contribute to the school systems through their property taxes and rent, for example.

But WalletHub just put the kibosh on that strategy because it says that New Mexico is the eighth-worst state for people to retire to.

And the big negative for the state is crime. WalletHub used 41 metrics in which to rank the states, and when it came to property crime, New Mexico was dead last.

Here are WalletHub's scores for New Mexico:

Retiring in New Mexico (1=Best; 25=Avg.)

18th – Adjusted Cost of Living

25th – WalletHub ‘Taxpayer’ Ranking

36th – Elderly-Friendly Labor Market

19th – % of Population Aged 65 & Older

50th – Property-Crime Rate

34th – Life Expectancy

19th – Health-Care Facilities per Capita

Here are the rankings of surrounding states when it comes to being attractive places for retirees:

2. Colorado

9. Utah

10. Arizona

16. Nevada

22. Texas

36. Oklahoma

43. New Mexico