Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Salisbury

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton to Salisbury is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 100.0 to 95.6 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $728/mo.

-$4,285
BLS median salary lower in Salisbury
250 to 425
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
13.6:1 to 14.5:1
NCES student-teacher ratio

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.

Verdict
Favorable
Cost Index: 100.0 → 95.6
Rent Delta: -$728/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 4% lower cost of living
  • + $728/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $4K lower median salary
  • - Higher violent crime rate

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 100.0 to 95.6 (ratio 0.96), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $728/mo ($8,736/yr) from $1,895 in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton to $1,167 in Salisbury.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Salisbury sits #69 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton is #244/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $4,285 lower ($70,782 → $66,497). Labor-market size: 370,630 tracked jobs at origin vs 46,370 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Pennsylvania scores 65 (C, #18/51) vs Maryland at 46 (F, #45/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton
Salisbury
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 100.0
RPP 95.6
Salisbury
Rent (2BR)
$1,895/mo
$1,167/mo
Salisbury
Wages
$70,782
$66,497
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton
Crime
250 per 100K
425 per 100K
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton
Schools
13.6:1
14.5:1
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton
Childcare
N/A
$14,631/yr
Tie
Environment
5292 violations
556 violations
Salisbury

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Pennsylvania
65 C #18/51
Income tax
95
Property tax
58
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
72
Destination state · Maryland
46 F #45/51
Income tax
75
Property tax
63
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
52

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 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton to see what you'd need to earn in Salisbury to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Salisbury
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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