Albany → Salem
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Albany to Salem is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 87.7 to 103.6 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $431/mo.
- +$14,348
- BLS median salary higher in Salem
- 300 to 335
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 14.4:1 to 17.6:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $6,048
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Salem
BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.
Pros of Moving
- + $14K higher median salary
Cons of Moving
- - 16% higher cost of living
- - $431/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
- - More expensive childcare
Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 87.7 to 103.6, so the same paycheck buys less in Salem (ratio 1.18). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $431/mo ($5,172/yr) from $1,129 in Albany to $1,560 in Salem.
Albany still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Salem sits #278 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Albany is #43/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $14,348 higher ($58,830 → $73,178). Labor-market size: 49,030 tracked jobs at origin vs 179,820 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Georgia scores 68 (C, #10/51) vs Oregon at 41 (F, #49/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.
State retirement friendliness
Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.
- Income tax
- 88
- Property tax
- 74
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 48
- Income tax
- 62
- Property tax
- 64
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 14
Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Albany to see what you'd need to earn in Salem to maintain the same purchasing power.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026