Then there's the weather, the crime rate, and the question of whether you'll have any contemporaries to pal around with. Or whether you'll miss the grandkids so much that you'll end up moving back across the country just to watch them grow up. Or whether you've inadvertently plunked yourself down in the middle of a cultural desert that leaves you cold even in the sunshine.

Bankrate took information from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, American Public Health Association,Council for Community and Economic Research, Creative Vitality Index, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Gallup-Healthways, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Partnership for Prevention, Tax Foundation, Princeton Survey Research Associates International, United Health Foundation and U.S. Census Bureau.

Related: 8 financial mistakes couples make that could derail retirement

It then toted up all the pertinent statistics and came up with rankings for all 50 states in 8 categories: cost of living, weather, health care quality, crime, tax, culture, the prevalence of other seniors and senior citizens' well-being.

Considering the number of people considering uprooting themselves in the quest for the perfect retirement—47 percent overall, with higher-income and younger people more likely to consider such a move when their retirement day comes—you probably have some research to do.

But just because younger folks are more likely to crave a new location, that doesn't mean that oldsters are guaranteed to stay where they were planted years ago. Thirty-seven percent of boomers, 12 percent of the Silent Generation and 46 percent of GenXers are all planning to depart for parts (so far) unknown.

So, best prepare yourself for the journey, and heed the warnings herein about the 10 worst states to retire in:

10. Mississippi

Culture and health care quality are the losers in Mississippi, with the former scoring a depressing 50 and the latter coming in at a frightening 49—no doubt leading to the state's 42^nd-place ranking in well-being. The prevalence of other seniors came in at 36.

Crime wasn't so bad, at 25^th place, nor were taxes (10^th place), weather (9^th place) or cost of living, which finished in an astonishing 1^st place.

9. California

The Golden State is apparently not so golden for retirees, since it ranks 48^th for cost of living and 45^th for both taxes and the prevalence of other seniors. Health care quality is a surprising 42, while crime comes in at 33.

Even well-being didn't do so well, at 28, although the state got top marks for culture (it's 2^nd in the country) and 1^st place for weather.

8. Oklahoma

The wind may come sweeping down the plain here, but it's blowing prospective retirees away—despite the fact that the state ranked 6^th for its weather, 11^th for its taxes and 3^rd for its cost of living. In other categories, it didn't do all that well.

Well-being was a dismal 48^th place, while health care quality was 43^rd. Culture came in at 38^th place, while crime was 37^th and the prevalence of other seniors was 31.

7. Nevada

Another sunshiny desert state that didn't rank near the top as a retirement destination, Nevada was handicapped by a 50^th-place score for health care quality and a 47^th-place score for crime (well, those CSI shows have to be based on something).

It also got two 38s, one for well-being and one for the prevalence of other seniors; a 36 for cost of living; an 11 for culture (even though they closed the Liberace Museum!) and an 8 for taxes. Its highest score was a 4 for weather.

6. Kentucky

It may have lost the race to the bottom, but not by much. A 49 for well-being, a 46 for culture and a 41 for health care quality all serve as serious concerns for choosing the state of Kentucky as a retirement destination.

In other categories, the Bluegrass State did somewhat better, with a 27 for taxes, a 26 for the prevalence of other seniors, a 25 for weather and a pair of 10s for crime and cost of living.

5. Louisiana

Louisiana scored in the 40s in 5 out of 8 categories—not exactly a thrilling recommendation. It, too, has a crime problem, coming in at 48, while well-being ranked 46^th, the prevalence of other seniors was 44^th, culture was 43^rd and health care quality was 40^th.

The good news is that it scored a 20 for cost of living, a 12 for weather and a 6 on taxes. But beware of hurricanes (the storms, not the drinks—although maybe you should go easy on them too).

4. New Mexico

Despite its tempting sunny deserts, New Mexico has a crime rate that placed it at the bottom of the list, at 50, and health care quality that dropped it down to 47^th in the country.

Still, in other categories it didn't do all that badly—a 34 for well-being, a 33 for culture, two 23s—one for the prevalence of other seniors and the other for cost of living—a 14 for taxes and a 3 for its weather.

So if you live in an armored car and never get sick, New Mexico may be the retirement destination for you!

3. Arkansas

The Natural State is not the natural first choice for retirement for several reasons. It only got a 48 for culture and a 47 for well-being, and it scored at 45 for both health care quality and crime. And taxes came in at 34.

The prevalence of other seniors in the state won it a 13, though; weather scored a 10 and cost of living was 2.

2. West Virginia

Poor West Virginia. Its two lowest scores were for well-being (a 50!), culture (49) and health care quality (48). That doesn't bode well for a long and happy retirement.

That said, it did marginally better in some other categories. It got a 39 for weather, a 31 for taxes, a 22 for cost of living and a 19 for crime rate.

One area where it scored highly was in the prevalence of other seniors, nabbing a 3—so if you do retire there, and you're not happy, you'll have plenty of company.

1. Alaska

Well, if you're not fond of the cold it stands to reason you wouldn't want to move here—the state got a bottom-of-the-heap ranking on its weather, coming in at 50.

Aside from other climate problems, such as issues with the permafrost melting, you might find other things not to like, such as the cost of living.

The state only got a 48 for its cost of living, but there were other discouraging words: a 49 for crime, a 46 for health care quality and a 50 for the prevalence of other seniors. In other categories it didn't do so badly: a 16 for culture, an 8 for well-being, and, surprisingly, a sterling 1 for taxes.