Kalamazoo-Portage → Jackson
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Kalamazoo-Portage to Jackson is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 94.8 to 85.5 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $98/mo.
- -$5,824
- BLS median salary lower in Jackson
- 431 to 602
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 17.5:1 to 15.3:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $416
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Jackson
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.
Pros of Moving
- + 9% lower cost of living
- + Better student-teacher ratios
Cons of Moving
- - $98/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - $6K lower median salary
- - Higher violent crime rate
Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 94.8 to 85.5, so each dollar covers more in Jackson (ratio 0.90). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $98/mo ($1,176/yr) from $1,162 in Kalamazoo-Portage to $1,260 in Jackson.
Kalamazoo-Portage still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Jackson sits #175 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Kalamazoo-Portage is #259/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $5,824 lower ($64,013 → $58,189). Labor-market size: 114,320 tracked jobs at origin vs 78,140 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Tennessee scores 66 (C, #17/51) vs Michigan at 49 (F, #42/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.
State retirement friendliness
Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.
- Income tax
- 72
- Property tax
- 59
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 16
- Income tax
- 100
- Property tax
- 80
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 36
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 Kalamazoo-Portage to see what you'd need to earn in Jackson to maintain the same purchasing power.
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