Weirton, WV Recognized in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026
Best Places to Retire
Weirton Ranks 2nd out of 250 Places.
Weirton, WV – November 4, 2025 − U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and consumer advice, has named Weirton] one of the 2026 Best Places to Retire.
Weirton ranks second in the overall rankings.
Weirton Mayor Dean M. Harris notes that “As the Mayor of Weirton, I am proud that our city is dedicated to ensuring our community is a safe, clean, affordable, and enjoyable place for residents of all ages. We are committed to providing an extensive array of activities and amenities for our residents and visitors. Furthermore, one of our most valuable assets is our prime location, just twenty minutes from the Pittsburgh International Airport, which provides a significant advantage for our city.”
This year’s rankings expanded to evaluate more than 850 U.S. cities, publishing the 250 top places. The rankings were based on how well they meet American retirees’ expectations against measures including quality of life, affordability, and health care.
“Deciding where to spend one’s golden years is a deeply personal choice,” said Tim Smart, contributing editor and author of U.S. News & World Report’s retirement newsletter, YOLO: Your Smart Guide to Retirement. “The Best Places to Retire rankings offer a supportive guide that highlights places that are most likely to meet the wants and needs of current and future retirees.”
Quality of Life is most heavily weighted out of the six factors in the 2026 Best Places to Retire methodology, which also includes affordability, health care quality, retiree taxes, population and migration for retirees aged 55 and older, and job market ratings.
The six measures factored into this year’s rankings were weighted based on a public survey of individuals across the U.S. who are at or approaching retirement age (45 and older) to find out what matters most to people when they are considering where to retire. Data resources include federal, state, and local data provided by Applied Geographic Solutions, which includes data sourced from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis and U.S. News' Best Hospitals rankings.
For more information on Best Places to Retire, explore Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram and X using #BestPlacesToRetire.
About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S. News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and consumer advice to millions of people on USNews.com each month. A pillar in Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, personal finance, travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services.
