This New Jersey Town Ranked No. 1 in a New Retirement Study — What to Know

According to The Motley Fool, the median retirement savings for Americans is $87,000. Just 9 percent of near or recent retirees reported having $1 million in their retirement accounts, according to a survey by Pew Research Center. So that means if you’ve got three commas in your retirement account, you’re well above average when it comes to retirement in America. And if you’ve got $2 million in that account, well, then give yourself a pat on the back for saving throughout your life, and then take a look at all the best spots to retire for people with $2 million in the bank.

In September, GoBankingRates.com revealed its list of the best spots to retire for those with $2 million in their retirement accounts — and Fort Lee, New Jersey, came in at the top.

The borough, located on the border of Bergen County, along the Hudson River, scored an 88 out of 100 on the liveability index and has a $7,505 monthly cost of living. Additionally, 25 percent of people living in the city are 65 and up, making it a fantastic place to make friends with your fellow retirees, while the total annual cost of living with Social Security benefits is $67,642, and the 15-year cost of living with Social Security benefits is $1,014,632, giving you plenty of spending room with your $2 million nest egg. 

GoBankingRates.com determined its rankings by first identifying “retirement hot spots” by finding cities with a population of at least 20,000. Next, it selected the 100 cities with the highest percentage of residents ages 65 and over. For those cities, it then factored in the total population, population ages 65 and over, total households, and household median income, which it sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey, the Zillow Home Value Index, Federal Reserve Economic Data, Sperling’s BestPlaces, and data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey.

It then calculated the total cost of living using the assumption that someone retires at 65 and lives to 80, used the Social Security Administration data to find the average Social Security benefits, and calculated the cost of living for each of those 15 years. It removed any cities with a 15-year cost of living over $2 million and sorted the remaining cities to show the highest livability cities first, which represent “the best retirement cities to live in with $2 million in savings.” 

Other top spots on the list after Fort Lee is Rocky River, Ohio, which came in second and also scored an 88 out of 100 on the liveability index, and Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, in third, with a score of 85 out of 100.

See all the retirement options if you fit in this financial bracket at gobankingrates.com.