The Prudential pensioner wellbeing league table found that six of the top 20 counties for pensioner wellbeing are in the South West of England, with Devon top of the rankings, Dorset in second place, Gloucestershire coming seventh and Wiltshire, Somerset  and Cornwall taking the twelfth, thirteenth and nineteenth positions respectively.

The league table rates each county against a number of indicators, including; ratio of healthcare workers per head of population; length of time a pensioner can expect to live post-retirement; annual incidences of crime per thousand members of the county’s population. Overall, the top 20 is comprised of 17 English and three Welsh counties.

In another boost for pensioners in the South West, a Prudential study in January found that the region saw one of the largest year-on-year increases in expected retirement incomes,  with new pensioners expecting to live on 19 per cent a year more than those who retired in 2014.

Top Three Counties: Prudential Analysis

• Devon

Devon’s largely rural make-up results in a relatively low 50.1 crimes annually per thousand people – well below the national average of 56.7.

The county’s pensioner life expectancy is in the national top 10 for both men and women – the average 65 year old Devonian man can expect to live for another 19 years while a woman can expect to live for another 22 years .

Devon also has an above average number of healthcare workers per thousand people at 65.6 compared with the 60.9 national average. Of those retiring in 2015, 36 per cent of those in the South West of England say they will be able to afford to leave an inheritance to their families – well above the UK average of 29 per cent.

• Dorset

Dorset’s pensioners have the longest life expectancy in England and Wales – the average 65 year old woman will live for another 23 years and a 65 man another 20 years.

A crime rate that ranks as the 9^th lowest (with 48.4 per thousand people) is offset by a relatively lowly ranking of 32^nd in the country in terms of access to healthcare workers (59.1 per thousand). Christchurch in Dorset is the UK’s retirement capital, with more pensioners per head of population than anywhere else in the country.

• Powys

The Mid-Wales county has the lowest rate of recorded crime in England and Wales – 35.8 crimes per thousand people annually. Pensioner life expectancy for both women and men is in the national top 20 with a 65 year old woman expecting to live another 22 years and a man another 19.

The provision of 62.2 healthcare workers per thousand people is also just inside the national top 20 counties. 26 per cent of Welsh people retiring in 2015 will be providing childcare to their families in retirement.

• Norfolk (joint third)

Norfolk’s crime statistics show the fourth lowest incidence in England and Wales (45.5 crimes annually per thousand people). Life expectancy for pensioners is comfortably within the top 15 nationally for both men and women. However, the county ranks 25^th out of 52 for provision of healthcare workers.

“While being financially secure in retirement shouldn’t be overlooked, issues such as safety, security and health play an important part in a pensioner’s overall quality of life,” said Vince Smith Hughes, retirement income expert at Prudential.

“The changes to the rules governing access to pension savings for the over-55s may tempt those looking to relocate somewhere that better suits their retirement needs to dip into their retirement savings to help pay for the move.

“However, before making any decisions on what to do with retirement savings or on how to secure a retirement income, over-55s should make the most of the Government’s free Pension Wise guidance service. In many cases a consultation with a professional financial adviser will also help with all the options now available to retirees.”

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