Kennewick-Richland Spartanburg

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Kennewick-Richland to Spartanburg is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 100.1 to 91.1 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $351/mo.

-$15,780
BLS median salary lower in Spartanburg
329 to 439
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17.6:1 to 14.3:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$8,255
DOL infant care lower / yr in Spartanburg

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
Strongly Favorable
Cost Index: 100.1 → 91.1
Rent Delta: -$351/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 9% lower cost of living
  • + $351/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + More affordable childcare
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $16K lower median salary
  • - Higher violent crime rate

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 100.1 to 91.1, so each dollar covers more in Spartanburg (ratio 0.91). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $351/mo ($4,212/yr) from $1,538 in Kennewick-Richland to $1,187 in Spartanburg.

Spartanburg leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Spartanburg sits #13 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Kennewick-Richland is #195/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $15,780 lower ($78,814 → $63,034). Labor-market size: 120,710 tracked jobs at origin vs 158,460 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: South Carolina scores 80 (A, #3/51) vs Washington at 38 (F, #51/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Kennewick-Richland
Spartanburg
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 100.1
RPP 91.1
Spartanburg
Rent (2BR)
$1,538/mo
$1,187/mo
Spartanburg
Wages
$78,814
$63,034
Kennewick-Richland
Crime
329 per 100K
439 per 100K
Kennewick-Richland
Schools
17.6:1
14.3:1
Spartanburg
Childcare
$15,987/yr
$7,732/yr
Spartanburg
Environment
2879 violations
720 violations
Spartanburg

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 · Washington
38 F #51/51
Income tax
63
Property tax
63
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
18
Destination state · South Carolina
80 A #3/51
Income tax
85
Property tax
87
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
56

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 Kennewick-Richland to see what you'd need to earn in Spartanburg to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Spartanburg
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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