Madison → Goldsboro
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Madison to Goldsboro is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 97.3 to 88.5 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $49/mo.
- -$16,063
- BLS median salary lower in Goldsboro
- 280 to 365
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 14.4:1 to 15.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $1,769
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Goldsboro
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
- + More affordable childcare
Cons of Moving
- - $16K lower median salary
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 97.3 to 88.5, so each dollar covers more in Goldsboro (ratio 0.91). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent barely moves ($1,195 → $1,244); the housing line is not the swing factor on this corridor.
Madison still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Goldsboro sits #86 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Madison is #107/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $16,063 lower ($72,527 → $56,464). Labor-market size: 399,040 tracked jobs at origin vs 34,170 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors the destination: North Carolina scores 68 (C, #13/51) vs Wisconsin at 57 (D, #32/51). 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
- 62
- Property tax
- 56
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 40
- Income tax
- 68
- Property tax
- 66
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 30
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 Madison to see what you'd need to earn in Goldsboro 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