Jackson Lewiston-Auburn

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Jackson to Lewiston-Auburn is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 91.8 to 94.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $421/mo.

-$1,048
BLS median salary lower in Lewiston-Auburn
431 to 102
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17.5:1 to 11.1:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$3,881
DOL infant care higher / yr in Lewiston-Auburn

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: 91.8 → 94.7
Rent Delta: +$421/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + Lower violent crime rate
  • + Better student-teacher ratios

Cons of Moving

  • - $421/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - More expensive childcare

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 91.8 to 94.7 (ratio 1.03), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $421/mo ($5,052/yr) from $1,165 in Jackson to $1,586 in Lewiston-Auburn.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Lewiston-Auburn sits #20 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Jackson is #224/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $1,048 lower ($63,665 → $62,617). Labor-market size: 47,640 tracked jobs at origin vs 41,990 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Maine scores 61 (C, #27/51) vs Michigan at 49 (F, #42/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Jackson
Lewiston-Auburn
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 91.8
RPP 94.7
Jackson
Rent (2BR)
$1,165/mo
$1,586/mo
Jackson
Wages
$63,665
$62,617
Jackson
Crime
431 per 100K
102 per 100K
Lewiston-Auburn
Schools
17.5:1
11.1:1
Lewiston-Auburn
Childcare
$7,444/yr
$11,325/yr
Jackson
Environment
1120 violations
832 violations
Lewiston-Auburn

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 · Michigan
49 F #42/51
Income tax
72
Property tax
59
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
16
Destination state · Maine
61 C #27/51
Income tax
68
Property tax
60
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
100

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 Jackson to see what you'd need to earn in Lewiston-Auburn to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Lewiston-Auburn
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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