Chicago-Naperville-Elgin Williamsport

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Chicago-Naperville-Elgin to Williamsport is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 103.6 to 92.3 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $586/mo.

-$16,819
BLS median salary lower in Williamsport
277 to 250
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
14:1 to 13.6:1
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
Neutral, depends on priorities
Cost Index: 103.6 → 92.3
Rent Delta: -$586/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 11% lower cost of living
  • + $586/mo cheaper rent (2BR)

Cons of Moving

  • - $17K lower median salary
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 103.6 to 92.3, so each dollar covers more in Williamsport (ratio 0.89). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $586/mo ($7,032/yr) from $1,781 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin to $1,195 in Williamsport.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 2 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Williamsport sits #116 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Chicago-Naperville-Elgin is #329/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $16,819 lower ($77,100 → $60,281). Labor-market size: 4,480,500 tracked jobs at origin vs 42,720 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Illinois 58 (D, #31/51) vs Pennsylvania 65 (C, #18/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Williamsport
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 103.6
RPP 92.3
Williamsport
Rent (2BR)
$1,781/mo
$1,195/mo
Williamsport
Wages
$77,100
$60,281
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Crime
277 per 100K
250 per 100K
Williamsport
Schools
14:1
13.6:1
Williamsport
Childcare
$12,257/yr
N/A
Tie
Environment
3029 violations
5292 violations
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin

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 · Illinois
58 D #31/51
Income tax
95
Property tax
46
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
46
Destination state · Pennsylvania
65 C #18/51
Income tax
95
Property tax
58
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
72

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 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin to see what you'd need to earn in Williamsport to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Williamsport
-

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