Albany → Salem
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Albany to Salem is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 102.1 to 103.6 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $60/mo.
- +$5,243
- BLS median salary higher in Salem
- 335 to 335
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 17.6:1 to 17.6:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $0
- 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
- + $5K higher median salary
Cons of Moving
- - $60/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 102.1 to 103.6 (ratio 1.02), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $60/mo ($720/yr) from $1,500 in Albany to $1,560 in Salem.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (1 destination wins · 2 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Salem sits #278 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Albany is #281/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $5,243 higher ($67,935 → $73,178). Labor-market size: 42,220 tracked jobs at origin vs 179,820 at destination.
Both metros sit in Oregon: state retirement score 41 (F, #49/51) - tax posture does not change with this move. 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
- 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