Retirement is a hard-earned chapter of life where older people can escape the daily grind of a busy workweek to focus on their health, relaxation, and quality time with loved ones. While many potential retirees dream of warm weather and sandy beaches, they’re forced to make plans based on financial realities. Many people want to know where they can stretch their savings the farthest. Each state offers its own charms and advantages, but the team at Ooma presents the real financial situation with a ranking by affordability.

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A Stark Financial Divide

Ooma’s analysis reveals dramatic differences in cost across each statement in America. They’ve determined the minimum savings needed to get by, and the results ranged from a modest $713,000 in West Virginia to a huge sum of $2.2 million in Hawaii. Their research combined nine factors to create the 400-point scoring system. Categories included savings thresholds, assisted living costs, tax burdens, memory care expenses, healthcare expenditures, and home care rates. Combined, this score reflects the true cost of retirement.

We see Hawaii emerging as the most expensive state to retire in by far. Their geographic isolation drives up the cost of living, which is common for island life. Assisted living costs are staggering, too, at $139,807 per year, and memory care reaches $11,000 a month. These costs can suck up retirement savings fast. California was the second-most expensive state, followed by Massachusetts, which both prove how steep the price of a fun lifestyle or premium healthcare can be.

The Budget-Friendly States

At the opposite end of the spectrum lies Mississippi, the most affordable state to retire in. Assisted living costs about $54,943 a year and home care costs about $25 an hour, which creates a great option for budget-conscious retirees. Alabama and Oklahoma are also on the affordable end of the spectrum, combining low living costs with affordable healthcare and tax-friendly policies.

Tax Policy Makes a Powerful Impact

State tax policies create significant cost differences between states that affect basic living expenses. Seven states on the list earned a “very tax-friendly” status due to eliminating most retirement-related taxes. These states were Alaska, Florida, Nevada, Wyoming, South Dakota, Georgia, and Mississippi. These states don’t tax retirement income or Social Security benefits and have minimal property taxes. On the other end of the scale, California, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Nebraska have the heaviest tax burdens which can eat up to 10.73% of income. These factors can’t be ignored when considering retirement costs.

Considering Healthcare Cost

Healthcare expenses are significant for aging people, and Utah has the most affordable healthcare, while New York has the most expensive healthcare. However, it’s important to consider that price often reflects healthcare quality. Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York have the most expensive healthcare but are also the highest rated.

Paying for a Lifestyle

Despite high costs, we can see on the chart that some of the most expensive states are the most popular. Hawaii, California, and Florida are the retirement dream for anyone seeking warm weather and beautiful beaches. Luckily, research like the data presented here can help people effectively plan for whatever retirement future they dream of.

Ooma’s new infographic shows that data breaches are a huge concern and much more common than we would like to think. Their new graphic offers 30 statistic-based facts that show us the harsh reality. Companies have limited time to react to data breaches before they hit the news cycle, and software developers have to stay on their toes to prevent security threats. Data breaches hand over customer contact details, proprietary software, and employee information to bad actors, so taking these threats seriously is of the utmost importance.

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Record High Levels of Financial Damage

The financial stakes of data breaches have never been higher. The data shows that in 2024, the average global cost of a data breach reached an all-time high of $4.88 million, a 10% increase. On average, American organizations bear the highest costs, at $9.36 million per breach. The U.S. healthcare industry is hit the hardest, with average data breach costs around $9.77 million.

Mega breaches incur the highest costs and the most damage. A mega breach involves over a million records and costs an enormous $375 million to rectify. The largest data breach was the Change Healthcare attack in February 2024, which exposed 190 million medical records and caused over $2 billion in damages. This was the largest medical data breach in American history.

Human Error Leads to Cyberattacks

55% of all data breaches are malicious attacks, with the remaining attacks split between human error and system failures. This shows that nearly half of breaches are due to internal vulnerabilities instead of being caused by the power of a sophisticated external attack. Out of all applications, Microsoft Office suffers 69.1% of cyberattacks, which means that everyday office tools can become a major target, taking advantage of employee vulnerability.

When someone inside an organization leads the attack, the expenses are highest, averaging $4.99 million. Ransomware is still a big danger, with the costs of attacks increasing by 500% between 2023 and 2024 and the average recovery cost around $2.73 million.

Delays in Detection and Containment

The amount of time it takes for organizations to detect a data breach is a bit shocking. It takes an average of 204 days to discover the breach and then another 73 days to contain it. That’s a nearly 10-month data exposure window. Most distressing is the fact that personal data breaches take the longest to detect and contain – an average of 292 days.

Recovery and Data Breach Prevention

The aftermath of a data breach remains a big challenge. Only 12% of businesses report making a full financial recovery after the breach. 70% of breached organizations have significant disruptions to business, and only 1% describe the breach as low-impact. Healthcare businesses have the longest-lasting effects with major damage to their reputation. They need to spend 79% more on marketing for the two years following a data breach. Strategic investments in cybersecurity offer stronger protection, and using AI in security operations can save around $2.2 million. Overall, this graphic emphasizes the importance of investing in strong cybersecurity.

Ooma’s new study gives crucial insight into small business ownership with a map and analysis comparing average yearly salaries in every state and Washington, D.C. The study offers key insights into the world of entrepreneurship today. They used data from ZipRecruiter to create a map that systematically compares wages across the country. The team also shows that the national average annual wage across industries is $66,621, providing invaluable context for the listed salaries.

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The maps contain geographic insight into earning potential. We see Washington state in the lead with small business owners earning an impressive $144,941 a year on average. That’s an incredible 127.2% higher than the national average salaries. The team points out that the Pacific Northwest is a small business hotspot for a reason. Seattle and the Puget Sound area are hubs for innovation and technology, supported by helpful infrastructure for small businesses, plentiful coworking space, and fresh talent setting out on their own after building experience with huge companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon. These factors have created an environment where small businesses can not only survive but thrive thanks to low business taxes and a talented pool of entrepreneurs and employees.

The data shows that 15 states and Washington, D.C., have earning averages that are double the national average. Washington, D.C., came in second place for small business owner wages at $144,612. It’s another technology hub that enjoys the benefits of being the nation’s capital, with access to government incentives and programs that can help entrepreneurs get their ideas off the ground.

The team’s analysis didn’t look away from more challenging regions. Florida had the lowest annual salary at $95,633 a year, though, as we can see, small business owners in Florida still earn more than the national wage average. Florida is a competitive market driven by tourism, yet small business ownership is still a lucrative option here. Ooma explains that Florida business owners do face unique challenges, like a tourism market that ebbs and flows with economic changes, fewer benefits for business owners, and a high concentration of small businesses.

Apart from the pure data, we can find lots of interesting context that helps us understand regional business climates. Cost of living and market dynamics influence how much entrepreneurs can earn, and we can see facts like this visualized in the colorful map the team created. Data that could be complex becomes easy to digest and quick to reference.

Ooma did an excellent job transforming data into geographic insights that can offer people practical small business guidance. Aspiring entrepreneurs can use the data here to launch a new idea, relocate or expand successfully, while industry observers can learn new things about the small business climate. Rigorous data, practical insights, and smooth visuals combine to create an enjoyable and practical presentation of small business owner wage data.