5 Texas cities named the best places to retire in America

Texas dominated a recent USA TODAY ranking of the 10 best cities for retirees in the U.S., with five towns in the Lone Star State making the list — including the top spot.

The USA TODAY Homefront research team ranked 329 American cities as prospective retirement destinations, using metrics including tax friendliness, health care availability, housing costs and number of leisure activities.

Tyler earned first place, although it's unclear if the Rose Capital of America needs any more flowers. The East Texas city was chosen for its affordable homes, lack of income tax and prices almost 8% lower than the national average. Houses in Tyler are 29% less than the typical U.S. home, according to USA TODAY.

Nature lovers can enjoy the nearby Lake Tyler and Lake Palestine, while retirees who prefer the city have options like the Caldwell Zoo, the Tyler Museum of Art and the Historic Aviation Memorial Museum.

Tyler was also named the best city in Texas in a separate USA TODAY Homefront study.

The next Texas town named best to retire in is Sugar Land, which ranked sixth. Just 20 miles south of Houston, it has a vibrant town square with almost 30 restaurants of varying cuisines. Retirees can visit Cullinan Park, Art Museum TX and the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land.

Wichita Falls, Abilene and McAllen followed behind in eighth, ninth and tenth place. All three towns' regional costs are at least 9% less than the national average, according to USA TODAY. The trio's typical home values are also lower than Tyler's $257,000, ranging from $169,000 in Wichita Falls to $224,000 in McAllen.

Here are the 10 cities that made USA TODAY's list of the best places to retire in America:

Tyler, Texas

Peoria, Illinois

Meridian, Idaho

Knoxville, Tennessee

Rochester, Minnesota

Sugar Land, Texas

Boise, Idaho

Wichita Falls, Texas

Abilene, Texas

McAllen, Texas