Lubbock → Hot Springs
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Lubbock to Hot Springs is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 91.3 to 85.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $117/mo.
- -$5,579
- BLS median salary lower in Hot Springs
- 395 to 580
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 14.7:1 to 13.6:1
- 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
- + 6% lower cost of living
- + Better student-teacher ratios
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - $117/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - $6K lower median salary
- - Higher violent crime rate
Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 91.3 to 85.7, so each dollar covers more in Hot Springs (ratio 0.94). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $117/mo ($1,404/yr) from $973 in Lubbock to $1,090 in Hot Springs.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Hot Springs sits #127 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Lubbock is #105/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $5,579 lower ($57,428 → $51,849). Labor-market size: 159,410 tracked jobs at origin vs 33,280 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Arkansas scores 74 (B, #6/51) vs Texas at 65 (C, #19/51). 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
- 100
- Property tax
- 55
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 44
- Income tax
- 75
- Property tax
- 78
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 68
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 Lubbock to see what you'd need to earn in Hot Springs to maintain the same purchasing power.
Hot Springs metro profile · Livability rankings · Methodology
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