Best and Worst States for Active Aging

Getting older doesn’t have to mean slowing down – and nowhere is that more evident than at the finish line of the New York City Marathon. In 2024, a record 1,292 runners ages 65 and older crossed the line, the highest number in the past decade.

That’s a whopping 64% increase from 2014 and more than four times the number seen in 2020, when the race – the biggest marathon in the world – was scaled back during the pandemic.

This surge of older marathoners shows what’s possible when people stay active later in life. But opportunities to move, exercise and thrive aren’t the same everywhere.

Across the U.S., some states make it easier than others for older adults to keep moving, whether that means strolling through a park, hitting the gym, or enjoying a round of golf with friends.

That’s why Seniorly dug into the data to determine the best states for active aging in 2025. We analyzed data for six metrics, including physical activity, self-reported health status and life expectancy among older adults as well as park proximity and the availability of golf courses and fitness centers relative to a state’s senior population.

We found that in some parts of the country, older adults are not only living longer but also living better.

The results can help seniors and their loved ones alike identify where the environment, community, and opportunities all come together to make staying active a natural part of daily life.

Key Findings

• Colorado Is the Best State for Active Aging: With the country’s lowest physical inactivity rate among seniors (20.9%), most older adults saying they’re in good health and easy access to parks and gyms, Colorado makes it easy for seniors to stay fit as they age.
• West Virginia Is the Worst State for Active Aging: It lands at the bottom for several metrics, with just 64.3% of seniors saying they are in good health and only 39 gyms for every 100k older adults.
• Winners Spanned the Country, Losers Were Concentrated: The best states ranged from small New England territories to the wide expanses of the Upper Midwest, Mountain West and West Coast, all driven by good self-reported health and access to parks, gyms and other opportunities to get moving. But the worst states landed squarely in the Southeast, dragged down by low life expectancy at age 65, few parks available and high rates of physical inactivity among seniors.

Best States

Colorado ranked first. The Centennial State has the country’s lowest physical inactivity rate among seniors (20.9%), while 80.7% of older adults say they’re in good health (No. 5) and residents there have plentiful access to parks and fitness centers.

Rounding out the top five are North Dakota, Utah, the District of Columbia and Massachusetts. While they are wildly different in terms of culture, size and landscapes, these places offer strong opportunities for seniors to stay healthy and fit.

In No. 4 Washington, D.C., for example, 99.8% of the population lives within ½ mile of a park, while No. 2 North Dakota has more gyms and golf courses relative to the senior population than anywhere else: a respective 143 and 57 per 100k older adults.

No. 5 Massachusetts scores particularly well on longevity, with 65-year-olds there able to expect another 19.6 years of life. And in No. 3 Utah, just 23.9% of seniors get no exercise in their leisure time, ranking fourth.

Worst States

West Virginia ranked last, with a poor showing across all metrics. Only 64.3% of seniors say they are in good health, and the state has just 39 gyms for every 100k older adults – both the lowest rates in the U.S. It also landed in the bottom handful of states for life expectancy at age 65 – 16.1 years – and park proximity, with 25.6% of people living within ½ mile of a park.

The bottom five also included Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee, all of which were dragged down by low life expectancy at age 65 and high rates of physical inactivity among seniors.

Residents of No. 50 Mississippi and No. 49 Alabama are also less likely to live near a park than anyone else in the U.S. (21.6% and 24.9% within ½ mile, respectively). Older adults in No. 48 Arkansas and No. 47 Tennessee were more likely to report poor health than almost anywhere else, with 67.5% and 69.6%, respectively, saying they were in good health or better.
 

Best and Worst States by Metric

Physical activity: A higher share of seniors reporting no leisure-time activity signals greater risk for chronic disease and mobility loss.

Health status: Self-reported good or excellent health is a strong indicator of overall well-being and quality of life in older age.

Life expectancy at age 65: Longer life expectancy reflects not just longevity, but also how well states support healthy aging in retirement.

Park proximity: Easy access to parks encourages walking, social connection, and outdoor activity for people of all ages, including seniors.

Gym access: A higher number of gyms and fitness centers increases opportunities for structured exercise, tailored classes, and safe indoor activity.

Golf course access: Golf courses and country clubs offer older adults a popular, low-impact way to stay active while staying socially engaged.

5 Tips for Staying Active as You Age

Staying active doesn’t always mean running marathons. Here are some simple ways to keep moving at any age.

1. Move in ways that make you smile. Whether it’s walking, dancing, gardening or a round of golf, it doesn’t matter what it is, as long as you enjoy it. Fun is the best motivation.

2. Keep your muscles in the game. A little strength training goes a long way. Light weights, resistance bands or even bodyweight moves can help keep you strong, steady and independent.

3. Make it social. Staying active is easier (and more fun) with company. Join a walking group, try pickleball or simply find a workout buddy who keeps you accountable.

4. Look for everyday movement. Take the stairs, walk to do your errands or stretch while watching TV. Small choices add up to big benefits over time.

5. Be kind to your body. The goal is consistency, not perfection. Low-impact options like yoga, tai chi or water aerobics can keep you flexible, balanced and moving without strain.

Conclusion

Active aging isn’t just about adding years to life, it’s about adding energy, vitality and joy to those years. By creating supportive environments and embracing movement in all its forms, states can help older adults thrive well into the decades ahead.

Methodology

We used the most recent data for six metrics to determine the best and worst states for active aging. We used a Z-score distribution to scale each metric relative to the mean across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and capped outliers at +/-3. We multiplied states’ physical inactivity scores by -1 because it was better to have a lower rate. A state’s overall ranking was calculated using its average Z-score across the six metrics. If states were missing metrics, their overall score was determined using the remaining data points.

Here’s a closer look at the metrics we used:

• Percentage of the 65+ population with no physical activity in their leisure time (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022)
• Percentage of the 65+ population in good or excellent health (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022)
• Life expectancy at age 65 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021)
• Share of total population living within ½ mile of a park (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020)
• Number of gyms and fitness centers that are owned privately or by the federal, state or local governments per 100,000 population ages 65+ (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024, and Census Bureau, 2023)
• Number of golf courses and country clubs that are owned privately or by the federal, state or local governments per 100,000 population ages 65+ (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024, and Census Bureau, 2023)