Veterans across the country are looking for the best places to build their post-military lives.
One state keeps showing up at the top of every list.
And Florida just dominated one ranking that shows why veterans are flocking to the Sunshine State.
America's veterans deserve the very best after sacrificing for our country.
They need good jobs, quality healthcare, affordable housing, and communities that actually honor their service instead of treating them like an afterthought.
WalletHub just released its annual ranking of the 100 best cities for veterans to live in 2025.¹
Florida absolutely crushed it.
Tampa, Orlando, and St. Petersburg all crack the top 10
Three Florida cities landed in the top 10 nationwide — Tampa took second place, Orlando grabbed seventh, and St. Petersburg secured eighth.²
Jacksonville rounded out Florida's dominance by landing in the 18th spot.³
That's four Florida cities in the top 20 out of 100 major metropolitan areas across the entire country.
WalletHub evaluated cities based on 19 different factors including veteran employment rates, access to VA healthcare facilities, income growth for veterans, housing affordability, and community support through military discounts.⁴
Tampa stood out for legitimate reasons that matter to veterans trying to build real lives after service.
The city has the sixth-most VA benefits facilities per capita and the third-most VA health facilities per capita nationwide.⁵
Quality matters as much as quantity — Tampa's VA medical facilities ranked as the second-best in the entire country.⁶
Veterans in Tampa also see their median annual income growing by over 6% per year on average, the 24th-highest percentage in the nation.⁷
The current median income sits around $53,000, ranking 38th out of the 100 most populous cities.⁸
MacDill Air Force Base creates a community that gets it
Tampa isn't accidentally good for veterans — the city has MacDill Air Force Base right in its backyard, home to both U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command.⁹
When you have that kind of military presence, the entire community develops a deeper understanding of what veterans actually need instead of just virtue-signaling about "supporting the troops."
Florida's veteran population tells the real story about why the state works so well for those who served.
The Florida Department of Veterans Affairs estimates more than 1.5 million veterans call the state home — the third-largest veteran population in the nation behind only California and Texas.¹⁰
Orlando performed even better in one specific category that reveals something important about how cities treat veterans.
The city ranked number one nationwide for quality of life factors including veteran population data, the percentage of businesses offering military discounts, and how welcoming each place is for military families and retirees.¹¹
Veterans can get a meal or catch a show in Orlando and actually get recognized for their service with real discounts, not empty "thank you for your service" platitudes.
The median annual income for veterans in Orlando grows by over 9% per year on average — the fourth-highest percentage in the country.¹²
That's not coincidence or luck — it's what happens when a city's economy creates real opportunities for people with military skills and work ethic.
The James A. Haley Veterans Hospital sets the standard
St. Petersburg earned its eighth-place ranking through extremely low veteran unemployment and a high percentage of jobs that match military skills.¹³
Access to quality healthcare makes or breaks a city's ability to serve veterans properly.
The Tampa Bay area benefits from proximity to both the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital and Bay Pines VA Healthcare System, both recognized for comprehensive care.¹⁴
https://twitter.com/FLVetsAffairs/status/1984329083975545267
The Orlando VA Medical Center, located in Lake Nona's Medical City, serves as the fourth-largest VA medical center in the country.¹⁵
It provides care for roughly 200,000 veterans living in Central Florida through the main facility plus multiple outpatient clinics.¹⁶
Florida also delivers on state-level benefits that put more money back in veterans' pockets.
The state provides full exemptions on military retirement pay from state income taxes.¹⁷
Disabled veterans can get property tax exemptions, meaning veterans keep more of what they earned instead of watching it disappear into government coffers.¹⁸
President Trump's administration has made supporting veterans a top priority, with VA Secretary Doug Collins stating during his confirmation hearing that "the mission is veterans."¹⁹
Collins explicitly pledged during his confirmation hearing that "we're not going to sacrifice the veterans benefits to do a budget" and that he "wouldn't go to a place in which we're not doing the mission."²⁰
The contrast with how previous administrations treated veterans couldn't be more stark.
Florida's combination of strong military communities, quality VA facilities, business opportunities, and state-level tax benefits creates an environment where veterans can actually thrive instead of just survive.
When four of your cities rank in the top 20 nationwide for veterans, you're doing something right.
¹ Adam McCann, "Best & Worst Places for Veterans to Live (2025)," WalletHub, November 3, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Elizabeth Borodulin, "Tampa, Orlando, St. Petersburg rank in top 10 best U.S. cities for veterans," Florida News, November 3, 2025.
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ Ibid.
⁸ Ibid.
⁹ "MacDill Air Force Base Guide," My Military Benefits, September 16, 2024.
¹⁰ Ibid.
¹¹ "Four Florida Cities Among Best for Veterans," Florida Realtors, November 2024.
¹² "These cities rank as the best places for veterans in 2025, analysis shows," FOX 35 Orlando, November 3, 2025.
¹³ McCann, WalletHub.
¹⁴ "2025 Best Cities for Veterans to Live by Veterans United," Veterans United, May 19, 2025.
¹⁵ "5 Best Florida Cities for Veterans to Live," Highland Homes, April 19, 2024.
¹⁶ Ibid.
¹⁷ Veterans United, May 19, 2025.
¹⁸ Ibid.
¹⁹ "'The mission is veterans,'" The American Legion, January 2025.
²⁰ Ibid.
