The Ultimate American Island Destinations for Retirees

According to a recent poll from Fidelity Investments, 67% of Americans in their retirement planning years have confidence in their financial goals. However, this number is seven points lower than it was last year. Confidence has dropped due to inflation and the high cost of living.  Rita Assaf, vice president of Retirement Offerings at Fidelity Investments, said in a press statement, “The shift toward relying on retirement savings heightens the importance of grounding yourself in a financial plan as early as you can.”

Many retirees would like to end up at an island destination with gorgeous scenery and a slower pace of life.  However, retirees who want to live out their golden years in a beachfront destination need to start planning early for retirement, as beachfront properties can be expensive. (Also see these major retirement stressors.)

24/7 Wall St. reviewed five-year data on retirement income from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey to find the island communities with the most retirees. We ranked cities, towns, boroughs, villages, and census-designated places located on islands based on the percentage of households receiving retirement income. Island status was determined using Census TIGER/Line place boundary definitions for 2022 and shapefile data from the Global Island Explorer database developed by the U.S. Geological Survey in partnership with Esri. We also included data on median home value and median household income from the 2022 ACS.

(This article was updated on April 1, 2025, to reflect recent news regarding Americans’ shifting views on their financial readiness for retirement.)

Why We Are Talking About This Now

Americans express less confidence in their retirement plans than they did one year ago. Planning ahead for major life events is important, and retirement is no different. Check out these most popular ocean home retirement destinations and begin saving — because beachfront homes aren’t cheap!

40. St. Simons, Georgia

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 43.2% (3,132 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $445,500
• Median household income, 2022: $99,432

39. Puget Island, Washington

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 43.2% (178 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $319,300
• Median household income, 2022: $64,593

38. Anna Maria, Florida

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 43.2% (210 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $1,022,700
• Median household income, 2022: $93,478

37. Ship Bottom, New Jersey

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 43.8% (219 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $850,900
• Median household income, 2022: $95,208

36. Crescent Beach, Florida

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 44.3% (245 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $512,700
• Median household income, 2022: $104,432

35. Emerald Isle, North Carolina

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 44.5% (780 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $489,200
• Median household income, 2022: $85,982

34. St. Paul, Alaska

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 44.9% (35 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $103,600
• Median household income, 2022: $83,214

33. Monument Beach, Massachusetts

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 45.9% (601 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $476,300
• Median household income, 2022: $93,688
• Total population, 2022: 3,024

32. Orchid, Florida

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 46.6% (130 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $1,708,300
• Median household income, 2022: $159,688
• Total population, 2022: 537

31. St. George Island, Florida

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 47.0% (232 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $577,500
• Median household income, 2022: $90,000
• Total population, 2022: 970

30. Coupeville, Washington

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 47.4% (404 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $447,500
• Median household income, 2022: $78,438
• Total population, 2022: 2,040

29. St. James City, Florida

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 47.5% (842 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $251,600
• Median household income, 2022: $62,415
• Total population, 2022: 3,494

28. Popponesset Island, Massachusetts

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 47.5% (19 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $2,000,000
• Median household income, 2022: $137,500
• Total population, 2022: 70

27. Cousins Island, Maine

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 48.1% (99 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $603,400
• Median household income, 2022: $168,571
• Total population, 2022: 504

26. Clinton, Washington

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 48.9% (248 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $609,100
• Median household income, 2022: $69,570
• Total population, 2022: 1,165

25. Harkers Island, North Carolina

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 49.0% (214 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $264,300
• Median household income, 2022: $67,888
• Total population, 2022: 1,104

24. North Beach Haven, New Jersey

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 49.2% (539 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $960,300
• Median household income, 2022: $104,183
• Total population, 2022: 2,250

23. Topsail Beach, North Carolina

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 49.4% (121 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $588,200
• Median household income, 2022: $112,708
• Total population, 2022: 471

22. Surf City, New Jersey

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 49.9% (337 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $884,000
• Median household income, 2022: $110,750
• Total population, 2022: 1,325

21. Fire Island, New York

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 50.0% (46 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $467,300
• Median household income, 2022: $108,750
• Total population, 2022: 298

20. Langley, Washington

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 50.3% (300 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $659,200
• Median household income, 2022: $72,379
• Total population, 2022: 1,076

19. Holmes Beach, Florida

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 51.1% (812 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $662,900
• Median household income, 2022: $94,545
• Total population, 2022: 3,076

18. Duck Key, Florida

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 51.3% (154 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $1,052,700
• Median household income, 2022: $124,063
• Total population, 2022: 731

17. Butler Beach, Florida

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 52.4% (1,322 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $446,200
• Median household income, 2022: $83,661
• Total population, 2022: 4,831

16. Indian Beach, North Carolina

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 53.1% (52 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $528,800
• Median household income, 2022: $80,000
• Total population, 2022: 225

15. Longboat Key, Florida

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 53.1% (2,216 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $909,700
• Median household income, 2022: $141,250
• Total population, 2022: 7,479

14. Barnegat Light, New Jersey

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 53.7% (108 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $921,900
• Median household income, 2022: $93,958
• Total population, 2022: 435

13. Kiawah Island, South Carolina

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 54.6% (619 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $1,423,900
• Median household income, 2022: $214,250
• Total population, 2022: 2,130

12. Gwynn, Virginia

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 54.8% (170 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $413,600
• Median household income, 2022: $89,009
• Total population, 2022: 639

11. Skidaway Island, Georgia

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 55.0% (2,466 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $682,900
• Median household income, 2022: $119,210
• Total population, 2022: 9,292

10. Pine Knoll Shores, North Carolina

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 55.3% (382 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $493,300
• Median household income, 2022: $92,656
• Total population, 2022: 1,363

9. Indian River Shores, Florida

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 56.7% (1,287 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $991,300
• Median household income, 2022: $153,242
• Total population, 2022: 4,266

8. Smith Island, Maryland

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 56.8% (104 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $109,300
• Median household income, 2022: $82,878
• Total population, 2022: 357

7. Seabrook Island, South Carolina

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 57.1% (681 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $757,900
• Median household income, 2022: $117,386
• Total population, 2022: 2,062

6. Fripp Island, South Carolina

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 57.8% (251 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $583,700
• Median household income, 2022: $88,125
• Total population, 2022: 767

5. Wabasso Beach, Florida

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 60.1% (573 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $586,000
• Median household income, 2022: $120,673
• Total population, 2022: 2,101

4. Matlacha, Florida

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 65.9% (288 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $370,100
• Median household income, 2022: $77,841
• Total population, 2022: 837

3. Littlejohn Island, Maine

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 67.4% (29 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $446,600
• Median household income, 2022: $94,943
• Total population, 2022: 58

2. Harbor Island, South Carolina

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 69.4% (84 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $295,000
• Median household income, 2022: $97,825
• Total population, 2022: 277

1. Herron Island, Washington

• Pct. households with retirement income, 2022: 100.0 (67 total)
• Median home value, 2022: $310,400
• Median household income, 2022: $62,054
• Total population, 2022: 122

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