{"id":722,"date":"2026-05-30T21:37:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T21:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=722"},"modified":"2026-05-30T21:37:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T21:37:07","slug":"sc-is-the-best-state-for-military-retirees-new-study-says-heres-what-makes-it-great","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=722","title":{"rendered":"SC is the best state for military retirees, new study says. Here\u2019s what makes it great"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><p>After serving in the military, veterans often struggle to find a place to settle down that offers the necessary facilities, quality of life and opportunities that guarantee a comfortable life.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=719\">Black History Month controversy rocks schools. How did Lexington 1 get here?<\/a><\/p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><p>There are more than 15 million military veterans in the U.S., and they often face more struggles than other citizens, such as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), disability and homelessness. If a state lacks resources to help veterans, these issues become even more prominent.<\/p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><p>That\u2019s why WalletHub, a personal finance company, released a study comparing the 50 states and the District of Columbia to identify the best states for military retirees across the country.<\/p><!--]--><!--[--><p>\u201cTransitioning from military to civilian life isn\u2019t easy, but the best states for military retirees make that adjustment as smooth as possible,\u201d said Chip Lupo, a WalletHub analyst.<\/p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><p>Their study used a data set of 28 key metrics, ranging from veterans per capita to the number of VA health facilities to job opportunities for veterans.<\/p><!--]--><!--[--><p>And there\u2019s good news for South Carolina military retirees: The Palmetto State was named the <b>2026 Best State for Military Retirees.<\/b><\/p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><p>Here\u2019s why the state ranked so high up:<\/p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><h2>What makes SC great for military retirees?<\/h2><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><p>Several factors put SC at the top of the ranking. The state\u2019s quality of life for veterans is notable, with excellent VA hospitals and a great economic environment. Also, South Carolina doesn\u2019t tax military pensions.<\/p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><p>Here are the other qualities that put SC at the top of the list:<\/p><!--]--><!--[--><ul><li>Percent of veteran-owned businesses: <b>1st<\/b><\/li><li>Economic environment rank: <b>2nd<\/b><\/li><li>Quality of life rank: <b>3rd<\/b><\/li><li>Quality of VA hospitals: <b>4th<\/b><\/li><li>Veterans per capita: <b>7th<\/b><\/li><li>Veteran job opportunities: <b>7th<\/b><\/li><li>Health care rank: <b>10th<\/b><\/li><li>Number of VA Benefits-Administration Facilities per Number of Veterans: <b>10th<\/b><\/li><\/ul><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><div> \n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Best &amp; Worst States for Military Retirees\" class=\"wp-image-721\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/de1ed5ed6d35e328915940143a7c13ce.webp\" width=\"700\" srcset=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/de1ed5ed6d35e328915940143a7c13ce.webp 700w, https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/de1ed5ed6d35e328915940143a7c13ce-300x273.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/figure>\n <div>Source: WalletHub<\/div><\/div><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><p>WalletHub commented on SC being named the best state for 2026:<\/p><!--]--><!--[--><p>\u201cSouth Carolina is the best state for military retirees, in part because it has many policies in place to help veterans,\u201d said a WalletHub analyst. \u201cThe state allows businesses to give preferential hiring to veterans, offers academic credit for military service, and has veteran treatment courts, which provide services like treatment and mentoring to veterans in the criminal justice system.\u201d<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=718\">1 person dead following crash early Saturday, SC Highway Patrol says<\/a><\/p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><p>The SC Department of Veterans\u2019 Affairs also acknowledged the ranking. This is what they said on their website:<\/p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><p>\u201cThis recognition shows that our efforts to support the Veterans, service members, and military families make a measurable impact. Policies like preferential hiring for Veterans, academic credit for military service, and programs for justice-involved Veterans mean there is support no matter what a Veteran\u2019s next chapter looks like.\u201d<\/p><!--]--><!--[--><p>You can see all the department has to offer here.<\/p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><h2>What SC needs to work on<\/h2><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><p>Even though SC was ranked the best place to be for veterans in the country, the study pointed to some facts that the Palmetto State needs to work on.<\/p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><p>One of the most glaring issues is the number of homeless veterans in the state. SC ranks <b>15th<\/b> in the country for its percentage of homeless veterans.<\/p><!--]--><!--[--><p>SC\u2019s housing affordability isn\u2019t terrible, but it\u2019s not the greatest either, ranking <b>25th<\/b> in the country.<\/p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><p>The biggest issue the study provided was that SC has the <b>4th<\/b> fewest VA health facilities per number of veterans.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=717\">Traffic improvements aimed at reducing congestion coming to Lexington County<\/a><\/p><!-- --><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nearly 400,000 veterans reside in South Carolina, and compared to other states, the Palmetto State treats military retirees the best, according to a new study.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":720,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-south-carolina"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>SC is the best state for military retirees, new study says. 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