Atlantic City-Hammonton Decatur

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Atlantic City-Hammonton to Decatur is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 98.9 to 88.4 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $804/mo.

-$7,215
BLS median salary lower in Decatur
216 to 277
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
11.8:1 to 14:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$3,475
DOL infant care lower / yr in Decatur

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
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 98.9 → 88.4
Rent Delta: -$804/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 10% lower cost of living
  • + $804/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + More affordable childcare

Cons of Moving

  • - $7K lower median salary
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 98.9 to 88.4, so each dollar covers more in Decatur (ratio 0.89). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $804/mo ($9,648/yr) from $1,867 in Atlantic City-Hammonton to $1,063 in Decatur.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Decatur sits #27 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Atlantic City-Hammonton is #28/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $7,215 lower ($73,017 → $65,802). Labor-market size: 161,030 tracked jobs at origin vs 36,440 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: New Jersey 54 (D, #34/51) vs Illinois 58 (D, #31/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Atlantic City-Hammonton
Decatur
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 98.9
RPP 88.4
Decatur
Rent (2BR)
$1,867/mo
$1,063/mo
Decatur
Wages
$73,017
$65,802
Atlantic City-Hammonton
Crime
216 per 100K
277 per 100K
Atlantic City-Hammonton
Schools
11.8:1
14:1
Atlantic City-Hammonton
Childcare
$15,732/yr
$12,257/yr
Decatur
Environment
1206 violations
3029 violations
Atlantic City-Hammonton

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 · New Jersey
54 D #34/51
Income tax
70
Property tax
51
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
88
Destination state · Illinois
58 D #31/51
Income tax
95
Property tax
46
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
46

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 Atlantic City-Hammonton to see what you'd need to earn in Decatur to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Decatur
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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