Portland-South Portland Parkersburg-Vienna

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Portland-South Portland to Parkersburg-Vienna is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 101.9 to 87.1 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $905/mo.

-$19,080
BLS median salary lower in Parkersburg-Vienna
102 to 242
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
11.1:1 to 13.1:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$2,351
DOL infant care lower / yr in Parkersburg-Vienna

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
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 101.9 → 87.1
Rent Delta: -$905/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 15% lower cost of living
  • + $905/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + More affordable childcare

Cons of Moving

  • - $19K lower median salary
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 101.9 to 87.1, so each dollar covers more in Parkersburg-Vienna (ratio 0.85). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $905/mo ($10,860/yr) from $1,833 in Portland-South Portland to $928 in Parkersburg-Vienna.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Parkersburg-Vienna sits #5 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Portland-South Portland is #94/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $19,080 lower ($75,121 → $56,041). Labor-market size: 273,870 tracked jobs at origin vs 30,150 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: West Virginia scores 82 (A, #2/51) vs Maine at 61 (C, #27/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Portland-South Portland
Parkersburg-Vienna
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 101.9
RPP 87.1
Parkersburg-Vienna
Rent (2BR)
$1,833/mo
$928/mo
Parkersburg-Vienna
Wages
$75,121
$56,041
Portland-South Portland
Crime
102 per 100K
242 per 100K
Portland-South Portland
Schools
11.1:1
13.1:1
Portland-South Portland
Childcare
$11,325/yr
$8,974/yr
Parkersburg-Vienna
Environment
832 violations
2508 violations
Portland-South Portland

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 · Maine
61 C #27/51
Income tax
68
Property tax
60
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
100
Destination state · West Virginia
82 A #2/51
Income tax
80
Property tax
86
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
64

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 Portland-South Portland to see what you'd need to earn in Parkersburg-Vienna to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Parkersburg-Vienna
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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