Florida and Texas tie for having the most cities on a new list of the top 15 U.S. cities friendly to lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender older adults in retirement. Both states have three cities each on the list.

The nine other states with one city each on the list, by senior living search website SeniorAdvice.com, in alphabetical order: Arizona, California, Georgia, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Utah and Washington.

SeniorAdvice.com started compiling the list by identifying the best cities for older adults in general using its SeniorScore system, which considers more than 100 variables such as access to healthcare and number of senior residents. Among the top cities for seniors in general, the website staff then researched and identified what it considered to be relevant considerations, such as acceptance of the LGBT community; number of LGBT-friendly bars, clubs and other establishments; LGBT festivals and other recreational activities; level of legal protection for LGBT residents; and presence of groups for LGBT older adults.

The resulting list of top U.S. cities for LGBT older adults:

  1. Austin, TX
  2. Ft. Lauderdale, FL
  3. Minneapolis–St. Paul
  4. Atlanta
  5. Phoenix
  6. Orlando, FL
  7. Tampa, FL
  8. Portland, OR
  9. Seattle
  10. Columbus, OH
  11. Salt Lake City
  12. Dallas
  13. Las Vegas
  14. San Francisco
  15. Houston

More than 1.5 million people in the United States aged 65 or more years identify as LGBT, according to SeniorAdvice.com, citing American Psychological Association data.