Lancaster → Albany
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Lancaster to Albany is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 98.3 to 102.1 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $26/mo.
- +$4,201
- BLS median salary higher in Albany
- 250 to 335
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 13.6:1 to 17.6:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
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
- + $4K higher median salary
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - 4% higher cost of living
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 98.3 to 102.1 (ratio 1.04), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent barely moves ($1,526 → $1,500); the housing line is not the swing factor on this corridor.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Albany sits #281 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Lancaster is #288/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $4,201 higher ($63,734 → $67,935). Labor-market size: 241,090 tracked jobs at origin vs 42,220 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Pennsylvania scores 65 (C, #18/51) vs Oregon at 41 (F, #49/51). 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
- 95
- Property tax
- 58
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 72
- Income tax
- 62
- Property tax
- 64
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 14
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 Lancaster to see what you'd need to earn in Albany 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