Barnstable Ranks As Top County to Retire to in Massachusetts

When older adults are looking for places to retire to in Massachusetts, they're thinking about several factors about the spot where they'll call home: location, cost of living, health care availability, weather and climate, crime rate, outdoor recreation, dining, and cultural and entertainment offerings. 

A new rankings report by the website Stacker identified several of the best counties in Massachusetts to retire to, with Barnstable County at the top of the list. The list was compiled using 2025 rankings from Niche, which assesses areas based on cost of living, health care access, recreation, weather, and other factors.

Barnstable County boasts highly rated places to live, such as Woods Hole, North Falmouth, and West Chatham. According to Stacker, the county's population is listed at 230,073. The median household income is $94,452, and the median home value is $575,900.

Below is the complete list of best counties to retire to in Massachusetts, based on Stacker's rankings:

Learn more about Niche's methodology used in its Best Counties to Retire rankings.