Northwest Ohio city is No. 1 in the U.S. for high-quality retirement; three Buckeye State cities make Top 10

Three Ohio cities ranked in the Top 15 – including the No. 1 slot – in an analysis of 100 U.S. cities to determine the best place to retire.

Topping the list as the best place to retire was Toledo. Cleveland ranked No. 4., and Cincinnati ranked No. 9.

Ohio is the only state with three cities in the Top 10. No other state had more than two cities in the Top 15.

Nearly half of the Top 15 cities were in the Great Lakes region and Midwest, according to the analysis by Orchard, which looked at “under-the-radar” places to retire. Joining Toledo and Cleveland in the top 5 were Pittsburgh (No. 2) and Buffalo (No.3).

Orchard, a real estate company based in New York, created the rankings by studying housing prices for purchase and monthly rental; senior population numbers for each city; availability of senior health care and climate.

“Housing is one of the biggest challenges facing retirees, according to a recent study by Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research. As many as 17 million adults aged 65 or older spend 30% or more of their income on housing, classifying them as house poor — meaning that they are ‘burdened’ or ‘very burdened’ by housing costs,” the Orchard study said. “That burden is so great that only 46% of Americans aged 50 or older anticipate being able to stay in their current home, according to research from AARP.”

The study praised Toledo’s friendly population and welcoming atmosphere, and the city scored well on key factors, the study found. Real estate prices for the city were the lowest among all the cities in the study. Rental costs were second lowest. And the city boasts the fourth highest population over 65 in the list.

Cleveland, ranked No. 4, also scored well in housing affordability, ranking No. 2 for purchases price (just $204,450), and a median rent of $1,375, much lower than the monthly average of $1,850. The presence of a thriving medical industry also was a plus.

“These cities offer affordable housing and costs of living, a high quality of life and essential services for a best-in-class retirement,” the report said of the Top 15 cities.

Take a look at the Top 15: