Rochester → Kankakee
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Rochester to Kankakee is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 90.8 to 96.4 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $81/mo.
- -$14,146
- BLS median salary lower in Kankakee
- 259 to 277
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 15.8:1 to 14:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $535
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Kankakee
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
- + $81/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + Better student-teacher ratios
Cons of Moving
- - 6% higher cost of living
- - $14K lower median salary
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 90.8 to 96.4, so the same paycheck buys less in Kankakee (ratio 1.06). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $81/mo ($972/yr) from $1,407 in Rochester to $1,326 in Kankakee.
Rochester still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Kankakee sits #292 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Rochester is #172/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $14,146 lower ($75,687 → $61,541). Labor-market size: 100,480 tracked jobs at origin vs 36,680 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Illinois scores 58 (D, #31/51) vs Minnesota at 49 (F, #43/51). 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
- 60
- Property tax
- 62
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 34
- Income tax
- 95
- Property tax
- 46
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 46
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 Rochester to see what you'd need to earn in Kankakee 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