Washington State ranks 3rd among all states in Gross Domestic Product per capita. Only New York and Massachusetts rank higher. Yes California you lag behind us and a few others as well. Generally a high GDP is not a factor for retirees unless those retirees wish to be close to grand children. Parents often find themselves chasing income opportunities and those tend to happen in areas with a robust economy.
With Washington State producing such a large economic output, your kids may be relocating here soon. Not only does Washington have the best economy on the West Coast it has pretty good conditions for retirees with good income. No state income tax means retirees keep more of their fixed income.
Although no one is suggesting Washington State is a sun belt state, it does have very mild weather considering its northerly latitude. The western side of the state only sees modest snowfall, very modest in most years and the opportunities for outdoor activities is hard to beat anywhere in the US.
Washington State suffers from high housing cost as does most of the West Coast. This is the single most deterring factor especially for those coming from the central states where real estate is rather affordable. If you can overcome that, its as good as any place to retire and again your grand kids might already be here.
