Scranton--Wilkes-Barre → Sumter
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Scranton--Wilkes-Barre to Sumter is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 93.6 to 88.0 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $24/mo.
- -$5,776
- BLS median salary lower in Sumter
- 250 to 439
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 13.6:1 to 14.3:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
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
- + 6% lower cost of living
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - $6K lower median salary
- - Higher violent crime rate
Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 93.6 to 88.0, so each dollar covers more in Sumter (ratio 0.94). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent barely moves ($1,252 → $1,276); the housing line is not the swing factor on this corridor.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (2 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Sumter sits #11 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Scranton--Wilkes-Barre is #148/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $5,776 lower ($61,803 → $56,027). Labor-market size: 246,030 tracked jobs at origin vs 28,110 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors the destination: South Carolina scores 80 (A, #3/51) vs Pennsylvania at 65 (C, #18/51). 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
- 95
- Property tax
- 58
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 72
- Income tax
- 85
- Property tax
- 87
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 56
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 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre to see what you'd need to earn in Sumter 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