NEW YORK NY – The cost of retirement for Montgomery County residents increased 59.96% during the past 10 years, according to a study released Tuesday (April 8, 2025) by a New York-based financial firm.
The study, by SmartAsset, concludes Montgomery County ranked fifth among 10 Pennsylvania counties in the rising amounts their residents paid for retirement living.
Its rankings relied in part on:
- How home prices have changed over the past ten years;
- Inflation-adjusted expenses for essential needs;
- Changes in average Social Security benefits; and
- Shifts in individual retirement account contributions.
Based on its findings, the company created an overall index. “The highest-ranking counties in this scoring were those that are where retiring has become the most expensive,” SmartAsset explains.
Scoring higher than Montgomery County in retirement cost growth were Philadelphia County, ranked first, at 66.61%; Delaware County, second, 62.81%; Bucks County, third, 61.6%; and Chester County, fourth, 61.37%. Ranking lower, in order from sixth through 10th, were Allegheny, Lehigh, Pike, Northampton, and Cumberland counties.
For lowest increase during the decade, Cumberland County residents’ retirement cost rose 53.81%.
Additional details on the study, including its methodology and an interactive map, are available online.
Photo by by Natalia Blauth for Unsplash+, used by Travels With The Post under license
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