The end of a career raises important questions about where and how to spend retirement years when one is no longer tied to a specific location. These may include specific locations for weather or preferred activities, cultural opportunities and proximity to family, friends and health care providers. To construct its rankings of the best states for retirement in 2021, Bankrate researchers examined several public and private datasets for information related to the life of a retiree. They examined five categories, assigning a 40% weighting to affordability, 20% to wellness, 15% to culture, 15% to weather and 10% to crime. "Deciding where to retire is a deeply personal choice, and a state-by-state index can't capture every factor that matters to you," Bankrate.com analyst Jeff Ostrowski said in a statement. "Some people want to stay close to family and friends. Others want warmer winters, more affordable housing or a slower pace of life." Ostrowski said retirees or those about to leave the workforce should carefully consider various factors before making a move. Bankrate.com ploughed through a bevy of statistics on cost of living, public health and other metrics in the 50 states to provide objective answers to the where-to-retire question. See the gallery for the 12 best states for retirement and how they ranked in each category.