Mount Vernon-Anacortes Waterbury-Shelton

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Mount Vernon-Anacortes to Waterbury-Shelton is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 102.4 to 99.8 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $68/mo.

-$2,164
BLS median salary lower in Waterbury-Shelton
329 to 139
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17.6:1 to 12.1:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$1,140
DOL infant care higher / yr in Waterbury-Shelton

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
Favorable
Cost Index: 102.4 → 99.8
Rent Delta: +$68/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + Lower violent crime rate
  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $68/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - $2K lower median salary

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 102.4 to 99.8 (ratio 0.97), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $68/mo ($816/yr) from $1,720 in Mount Vernon-Anacortes to $1,788 in Waterbury-Shelton.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Waterbury-Shelton sits #87 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Mount Vernon-Anacortes is #253/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $2,164 lower ($74,635 → $72,471). Labor-market size: 46,720 tracked jobs at origin vs 153,560 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Connecticut scores 52 (D, #41/51) vs Washington at 38 (F, #51/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Mount Vernon-Anacortes
Waterbury-Shelton
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 102.4
RPP 99.8
Waterbury-Shelton
Rent (2BR)
$1,720/mo
$1,788/mo
Mount Vernon-Anacortes
Wages
$74,635
$72,471
Mount Vernon-Anacortes
Crime
329 per 100K
139 per 100K
Waterbury-Shelton
Schools
17.6:1
12.1:1
Waterbury-Shelton
Childcare
$15,987/yr
$17,127/yr
Mount Vernon-Anacortes
Environment
2879 violations
801 violations
Waterbury-Shelton

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 · Connecticut
52 D #41/51
Income tax
62
Property tax
50
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
86

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 Mount Vernon-Anacortes to see what you'd need to earn in Waterbury-Shelton to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Waterbury-Shelton
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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