Stockton-Lodi → Rochester
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Stockton-Lodi to Rochester is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 105.1 to 97.0 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $169/mo.
- +$937
- BLS median salary higher in Rochester
- 477 to 380
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 21.5:1 to 11.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $4,051
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Rochester
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
- + 8% lower cost of living
- + $169/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + Lower violent crime rate
- + Better student-teacher ratios
- + More affordable childcare
- + Fewer environmental violations
Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 105.1 to 97.0, so each dollar covers more in Rochester (ratio 0.92). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $169/mo ($2,028/yr) from $1,742 in Stockton-Lodi to $1,573 in Rochester.
Rochester leads on 7 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Rochester sits #223 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Stockton-Lodi is #379/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $937 higher ($71,848 → $72,785). Labor-market size: 263,900 tracked jobs at origin vs 478,930 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: California 40 (F, #50/51) vs New York 46 (F, #46/51). 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
- 70
- Property tax
- 72
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 4
- Income tax
- 80
- Property tax
- 48
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 96
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 Stockton-Lodi to see what you'd need to earn in Rochester 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