Goodyear and Peoria are both among America’s top five fastest-growing retirement communities and destinations for retirees, according to a new analysis.

In our latest study, researchers at GOBankingRates set out to uncover the nation’s top retirement communities and “retirement boomtowns”.

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To do so, we examined the most recent publicly available population data from the US Census, which ranges from 2018-2023.

Using this data, our team identified the US cities experiencing the largest growth among their 65+ populations.

To qualify for the study, cities had to have a 65+ population greater than the national average of 16.84%.

Key Metro Phoenix findings

  • The 65+ population in Goodyear spiked a whopping 54% in a five-year period, while the 65+ population in Peoria grew 42% during that same time.
  • In just one-year (2022-2023), both the 65+ populations in Goodyear and Peoria grew more than 5%.

Key national findings

  • Leesburg, Florida, and Goodyear, Arizona, take first and second place in our rankings, each with retirement populations that have boomed over 54% since 2018.
  • Twelve Florida cities ranked for their rapid growth, the most of any state: Leesburg (#1), Edgewater (#3), Tavares (#5), Fort Pierce (#7), Clermont (#8), Port Saint Lucie (#18), Winter Springs (#19), Pensacola (#21), Cape Coral (#24), West Palm Beach (#38), Palm Coast (#41) and Ormond Beach (#49). 
  • Five surprising non-Florida hotspots, including two Arizona cities, rounded out the top 10. They include Goodyear (#2); Peoria, Arizona (#4); Lacey, Washington (#6); Galveston, Texas (#9); and Vestavia Hills, Alabama (#10). 
  • Galveston is the only Texas city to break into the top 50.