Florence → Wausau
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Pros of Moving
- + $3K higher median salary
- + Lower violent crime rate
Cons of Moving
- - 6% higher cost of living
- - More expensive childcare
- - More environmental violations
Moving from Florence to Wausau shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 86.8 to 92.7 (100 = US average), so a Florence salary needs to be multiplied by 1.07 to hold the same purchasing power in Wausau. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $1,098/month in Florence to $1,147/month in Wausau - a higher monthly bill of $49, or $588/year. That rent delta alone is often the single biggest line item when relocating.
Wages tell the other half. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report a median salary of $60,956 in Florence versus $63,772 in Wausau - a raw gap of $2,816 higher. The Wausau labor market has 63,730 tracked jobs against 82,440 in Florence, shaping how easy it is to find a comparable role. Combine that with the cost-of-living shift above and you get the real purchasing-power delta, sometimes a "higher salary" is actually a pay cut once rent and RPP are applied.
Safety, schools, and childcare round out the move. FBI UCR violent crime rates near Florence and Wausau are 439 and 280 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 14.3:1 at origin versus 14.4:1 at destination. DOL center-based infant care costs $7,732/year in Florence versus $11,256/year in Wausau. Our composite verdict - Less Favorable - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Florence to see what you'd need to earn in Wausau to maintain the same purchasing power.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026
Data Sources
- Cost of Living: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR)
- Wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES)
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - state level
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
- Childcare: Department of Labor (DOL) - state level
- Environment: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.