The age at which you intend to retire might have a significant impact on how much you need to save while you’re still working. The longer you can delay retirement, the lower your savings factor will be.
Pre-retirement income is a significant benchmark for retirement planning, and it’s a powerful indication of future health too, as higher earnings can allow for better healthcare access, nutrition and lifestyle choices.
But where exactly do pre-retirees make the most money? Let’s take a look.
Also see six things the upper middle class should sell before retiring.
Where Do Pre-Retirees Make the Most Money?
According to SmartAsset data, cities in Florida and California occupy eight of the top 10 spots where most people are about to retire (and 13 of the top 20). However, the cities where pre-retirees make the most money are a little more varied.
SmartAsset used a median income for households earning more than $200,000 aged 55 to 64 from the U.S. Census Bureau for its numbers, and here’s what it found.
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5. Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Median pre-retiree household income: $182,926
- Percentage of pre-retirees earning $200,000-plus: 46.2%
Cambridge is an anomaly among the top five. While the median pre-retiree household income is $182,926 and the percentage of pre-retirees earning $200,000 or more is 46.2%, only 5.56% of its residents are pre-retiree age. A GOBankingRates study last year found that Cambridge was the best city for the young and wealthy to live in, with over 40% of the population being 25 to 44 years old.
4. Naperville, Illinois
- Median pre-retiree household income: $183,142
- Percentage of pre-retirees earning $200,000-plus: 44.3%
Long considered one of the safest and richest cities in the Midwest, Naperville has a wealthy pre-retirement community and a cost of living that is 8.1% higher than the national average and 15.4% higher than the Illinois average, according to BestPlaces.
3. San Mateo, California
- Median pre-retiree household income: $183,921
- Percentage of pre-retirees earning $200,000-plus: 46.6%
According to the U.S. Census QuickFacts guide, the median household income in San Mateo in 2024 was an impressive $153,504, and San Mateo County was found to be the wealthiest in California, as reported by The Sacramento Bee.
2. Fremont, California
- Median pre-retiree household income: $202,314
- Percentage of pre-retirees earning $200,000-plus: 51.9%
With Fremont’s median income 55% higher than average, it’s no surprise that BestPlaces noted that median home price (74.9% higher than average) and monthly rent (54.5% higher) are more expensive in Fremont than in most cities. Niche gave the San Jose suburb an overall grade of A, as calculated by its team of experts using dozens of public data sets and millions of real reviews.
1. Bellevue, Washington
- Median pre-retiree household income: $214,900
- Percentage of pre-retirees earning $200,000-plus: 53.6%
Considering important factors like education, healthcare access, safety and overall well-being, Bellevue was named one of the top cities in the country for quality of life, coming in at No. 4 on U.S. News & World Report’s 2025-2026 list of the 25 best places to live.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 5 Cities Where Pre-Retirees Make the Most Money
