Trenton-Princeton → Missoula
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Trenton-Princeton to Missoula is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 103.2 to 96.4 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $589/mo.
- -$16,929
- BLS median salary lower in Missoula
- 216 to 426
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 11.8:1 to 11.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $4,266
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Missoula
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
- + 7% lower cost of living
- + $589/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + More affordable childcare
Cons of Moving
- - $17K lower median salary
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 103.2 to 96.4, so each dollar covers more in Missoula (ratio 0.93). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $589/mo ($7,068/yr) from $1,950 in Trenton-Princeton to $1,361 in Missoula.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Missoula sits #285 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Trenton-Princeton is #115/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $16,929 lower ($80,061 → $63,132). Labor-market size: 220,910 tracked jobs at origin vs 60,010 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: New Jersey 54 (D, #34/51) vs Montana 53 (D, #38/51). 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
- 51
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 88
- Income tax
- 62
- Property tax
- 68
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 82
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 Trenton-Princeton to see what you'd need to earn in Missoula 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