Kennewick-Richland Springfield

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Kennewick-Richland to Springfield is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 100.1 to 96.1 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $196/mo.

-$6,397
BLS median salary lower in Springfield
329 to 309
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17.6:1 to 12.3:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$4,584
DOL infant care higher / yr in Springfield

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: 100.1 → 96.1
Rent Delta: +$196/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 4% lower cost of living
  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $196/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - $6K lower median salary
  • - More expensive childcare

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 100.1 to 96.1 (ratio 0.96), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $196/mo ($2,352/yr) from $1,538 in Kennewick-Richland to $1,734 in Springfield.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Springfield sits #81 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Kennewick-Richland is #195/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $6,397 lower ($78,814 → $72,417). Labor-market size: 120,710 tracked jobs at origin vs 191,450 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Washington 38 (F, #51/51) vs Massachusetts 45 (F, #48/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Kennewick-Richland
Springfield
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 100.1
RPP 96.1
Springfield
Rent (2BR)
$1,538/mo
$1,734/mo
Kennewick-Richland
Wages
$78,814
$72,417
Kennewick-Richland
Crime
329 per 100K
309 per 100K
Springfield
Schools
17.6:1
12.3:1
Springfield
Childcare
$15,987/yr
$20,571/yr
Kennewick-Richland
Environment
2879 violations
1140 violations
Springfield

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 · Massachusetts
45 F #48/51
Income tax
55
Property tax
65
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
84

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 Springfield to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Springfield
-

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