Americans seem to be feeling bleak about their retirement prospects lately. A study from Willis Towers Watson surveyed 9,600 workers across various companies and found that 36% of workers over 50 expect to keep working until they're at least 70. That number decreases slightly when encompassing the entire workforce (30%), but still suggests that the golden target of retiring at 65 feels out of reach for workers of all ages.

One seemingly insurmountable hurdle contributing to late retirement is savings, as nearly 70% of all workers surveyed by WTW say most of their money goes towards paying down debt instead. In light of that fact, it comes as no surprise that those with their eye on retiring are considering smaller towns with lower costs of living, as underlined in a recent survey from United Van Lines.

Although one of the attractions of a smaller town is getting away from the noise and crowds of city life, retirees may also want to consider being in close proximity to necessary services, stores, and health care options. To that end, U.S. News and World Report has published a list of the fastest-growing small cities with between 50,000 and 100,000 residents.