By Hank Russell
Citing a recent study, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said retirees cannot afford to live in New York State because of Governor Kathy Hochul’s economic policies.
According to CareScoutⓇ, New York State was ranked as one of the worst states to retire in this year. New Jersey was ranked the worst, followed by Massachusetts. Wyoming was considered the best state for retirement. The senior care solution provider cited New York’s “extremely high [cost] of living … and high personal income tax [burden].” The Empire State’s personal income tax rate is 10.9%, the third-highest behind California (13.3%) and Hawaii (11%).
“A state that ranks 49th in the nation for retirees is a state that has failed its seniors, and that failure starts at the top,” Blakeman — who is running against Hochul for governor — said. “Kathy Hochul keeps taking more out of seniors’ pockets. She raised taxes, caused electricity costs to explode, and wasted billions of taxpayer dollars on programs riddled with waste, fraud, and abuse. For retirees, that means less money for groceries, less money for medical care, and less security in the years when they should finally be able to relax.”
A recent study by WalletHub yielded nearly similar results. The study had New York in the bottom 10 — 45th — on the list of best states to retire. (Kentucky was the worst state, followed by Oklahoma, Mississippi, West Virginia and Hawaii. In addition, New York ranked dead last in affordability, received the second-lowest taxpayer ranking and had the fifth-highest cost of living behind Hawaii, Massachusetts, California and Alaska.
“Retirement is supposed to be relaxing, but it can also be incredibly stressful given that it typically puts people on a fixed income, which may not be enough for them to live comfortably,” said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. “As a result, the best states for retirees are those that have low taxes and a low cost of living to help retirees’ budgets stretch as far as possible.”
Blakeman said seniors “did everything right, they worked, they saved, they paid into the system,” but Hochul is “squeezing them until they’re forced to choose between staying in New York and staying afloat.”
Long Island Life & Politics reached out to the Hochul campaign for comment. “Bruce Blakeman said Trump was doing an ‘amazing job’ after he cut Medicaid by $1 trillion, an unprecedented attack in American history on millions of seniors’ benefits,” said campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki. “He’s let Trump raise costs on New Yorkers across the board with reckless tariffs, and he’ll never bring costs down for New Yorkers if it means standing up to this president.”
Blakeman touted his record as county executive in making living in Nassau County affordable for senior citizens. This included providing seniors with the most generous property tax deductions allowed by law and expanding senior programming focused on health, wellness, and community engagement.
“In Nassau County, we chose a different path,” Blakeman said. “While Albany wastes money and raises costs, we cut taxes for seniors and invest in programs that actually improve their quality of life. We respect the people who built our communities, and we make sure their golden years are about living — not just surviving.”
Blakeman said the state “should be a place where people can retire with dignity.” However, “Kathy Hochul made it one of the worst states in America to enjoy your golden years. As governor, I’ll take the common-sense Nassau County approach statewide: lower taxes, lower energy costs, and a New York seniors can finally afford to call home.”