vexed vets

Texas is far from the best state for military veterans to retire

veteran military man saluting an American flag

Retired veterans in Texas only have it OK.

NewsFixNow.com

Texans might claim their state is the best for retired veterans, but a new WalletHub report places the Lone Star State at No. 28 in the U.S. when it comes to the "Best & Worst States for Military Retirees" in 2024.

The annual report examines all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on each state's capability of providing a comfortable lifestyle for our nation's military retirees.

Texas' middling rank earned it a score of 51.22 out of 100 total possible points, only 12.6 points off from South Carolina, which was named 2024's best state for military retirees.

The Lone Star State ranked No. 34 out of all 50 states in both the Quality of Life and Healthcare categories, and ranked No. 13 overall in the Economic Environment category.

More specifically, Texas has the fifth highest number of VA health facilities per number of veterans. But the quality of those health facilities only warranted a mediocre No. 30 rank out of all 50 states, illustrating that Texas has some work to do to improve its veteran healthcare. Separately, Texas scored No. 13 in the ranking for the highest number of Veteran Benefits Administration (VBA) facilities per number of veterans.

Here's the breakdown of Texas' other military retirement rankings:

No. 20 – Percentage of veteran-owned businesses
No. 22 – Housing affordability
No. 28 – Percentage of homeless veterans
No. 35 – Veteran job opportunities
No. 43 – Veterans per capita

Retired veterans in Texas looking for a better retirement quality of life would be better off in top-ranking South Carolina, which doesn't enact a tax on military pensions (like Texas), but has many policies and programs in place to aid veterans in their retirement.

"Transitioning from military to civilian life isn’t easy, but the best states for military retirees make that adjustment as smooth as possible," said WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe. "In addition to providing the conditions necessary for our veterans to thrive financially, they also have ample resources for taking care of military retirees’ physical and mental health."

On the opposite end of the spectrum, retiring veterans should steer clear from Oregon (No. 51), New Mexico (No. 50), Vermont (No. 49), the District of Columbia (No. 48), and Nevada (No. 47), which were all ranked the worst states for military retirees in 2024.

The top 10 best states for military retirees are:

No. 1 – South Carolina
No. 2 – Florida
No. 3 – Virginia
No. 4 – Maryland
No. 5 – North Dakota
No. 6 – Minnesota
No. 7 – Alaska
No. 8 – Connecticut
No. 9 – New Hampshire
No. 10 – South Dakota

WalletHub determined its rankings by analyzing all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 28 metrics in three key dimensions: Economic Environment, Quality of Life, and Healthcare. Factors that helped determine each state's score include the state tax on military pensions (if applicable), the share of veterans not receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, the quality of VA hospitals, and more.

The full report can be found on wallethub.com.

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share the road

Texas is one of the worst places in the nation to ride a bike

Photo by Danist Soh on Unsplash

If you've ridden your bicycle in San Antonio, you already know how true this is.

In what will come as no surprise to cyclists around San Antonio, the state of Texas is not a good place for bicycle riding. According to a new report of the "Most Cycling-Friendly States in the U.S.," Texas comes in at No. 47 — meaning that only three other states are worse.

The report, from Philadelphia personal injury law firm KaplunMarx, examines all 50 states based on six metrics: Air quality index, the number of cyclist deaths per one million residents, bike routes per square mile, local government actions supporting cycling, federal funding for cycling projects, and bicycle laws.

Texas musters a mere 31 points out of 100 for its "cycling friendly score."

The most cycling friendly state in the U.S.: Minnesota, which earned 84 points to claim the title.

According to the report's findings, there have been 15 local government actions per capita in Texas that integrate pedestrians and cyclists in transportation projects. Texas has a 41 air quality index value, and there are approximately 1.2 bike routes per 1,000 square miles in the state.

On cyclist deaths, Texas does a little better, with three cyclist deaths per one million residents in Texas — about nine percent lower than the national average.

According to KaplunMarx founding partner Ted Kaplun, there is an average of 857 cyclist fatalities in the U.S. every year. He adds that every measure or community effort to improve cyclist-friendliness is beneficial for all Americans.

"It's crucial for all states to continually assess and enhance their cycling provisions, learning from both high-ranking peers and their own experiences," he says.

Top-ranking Minnesota has only one cyclist death per one million state residents. It also has about 27.2 bike routes per 1,000 square miles.

After Minnesota, the remaining top five best states for cyclists are Massachusetts (No. 2), Rhode Island (No. 3), Washington (No. 4), and Iowa (No. 5).

At the bottom of the list are Nevada (No. 48), Arizona (No. 49), and Utah (No. 50) — all of which performed far worse than Texas to be declared the three least cycling-friendly states.

The entire country still has areas for improvement when it comes to creating a safer environment for cyclists, regardless of where each state landed on the list, according to Kaplun.

"With over 53 million Americans riding bicycles regularly, the importance of cycling-friendly infrastructure and safety measures cannot be overstated," said Kaplun in the report. "This isn't just about rankings – it's about enhancing the quality of life, promoting sustainable transportation, and most crucially, saving lives."

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