Raleigh-Cary → Hagerstown-Martinsburg
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Raleigh-Cary to Hagerstown-Martinsburg is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 98.2 to 94.2 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $489/mo.
- -$4,469
- BLS median salary lower in Hagerstown-Martinsburg
- 365 to 425
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 15.8:1 to 14.5:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $5,144
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Hagerstown-Martinsburg
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
- + 4% lower cost of living
- + $489/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + Better student-teacher ratios
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - $4K lower median salary
- - More expensive childcare
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 98.2 to 94.2 (ratio 0.96), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $489/mo ($5,868/yr) from $1,750 in Raleigh-Cary to $1,261 in Hagerstown-Martinsburg.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Hagerstown-Martinsburg sits #159 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Raleigh-Cary is #241/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $4,469 lower ($68,693 → $64,224). Labor-market size: 725,130 tracked jobs at origin vs 100,850 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors staying put: North Carolina scores 68 (C, #13/51) vs Maryland at 46 (F, #45/51). 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
- 68
- Property tax
- 66
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 30
- Income tax
- 75
- Property tax
- 63
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 52
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 Raleigh-Cary to see what you'd need to earn in Hagerstown-Martinsburg to maintain the same purchasing power.
Hagerstown-Martinsburg 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