Bangor Waterbury-Shelton

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Bangor to Waterbury-Shelton is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 96.5 to 99.8 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $396/mo.

+$6,894
BLS median salary higher in Waterbury-Shelton
102 to 139
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
11.1:1 to 12.1:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$5,802
DOL infant care higher / yr in Waterbury-Shelton

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
Unfavorable
Cost Index: 96.5 → 99.8
Rent Delta: +$396/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $7K higher median salary

Cons of Moving

  • - 3% higher cost of living
  • - $396/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - More expensive childcare

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 96.5 to 99.8 (ratio 1.03), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $396/mo ($4,752/yr) from $1,392 in Bangor to $1,788 in Waterbury-Shelton.

Bangor still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Waterbury-Shelton sits #87 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Bangor is #23/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $6,894 higher ($65,577 → $72,471). Labor-market size: 66,130 tracked jobs at origin vs 153,560 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Maine scores 61 (C, #27/51) vs Connecticut at 52 (D, #41/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Bangor
Waterbury-Shelton
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 96.5
RPP 99.8
Bangor
Rent (2BR)
$1,392/mo
$1,788/mo
Bangor
Wages
$65,577
$72,471
Waterbury-Shelton
Crime
102 per 100K
139 per 100K
Bangor
Schools
11.1:1
12.1:1
Bangor
Childcare
$11,325/yr
$17,127/yr
Bangor
Environment
832 violations
801 violations
Waterbury-Shelton

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 · Maine
61 C #27/51
Income tax
68
Property tax
60
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
100
Destination state · Connecticut
52 D #41/51
Income tax
62
Property tax
50
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
86

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 Bangor to see what you'd need to earn in Waterbury-Shelton to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Waterbury-Shelton
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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