Walla Walla Kankakee

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Walla Walla to Kankakee is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 98.5 to 96.4 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $224/mo.

-$9,460
BLS median salary lower in Kankakee
329 to 277
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17.6:1 to 14:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$3,730
DOL infant care lower / 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.

Verdict
Favorable
Cost Index: 98.5 → 96.4
Rent Delta: -$224/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $224/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + More affordable childcare

Cons of Moving

  • - $9K lower median salary

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 98.5 to 96.4 (ratio 0.98), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $224/mo ($2,688/yr) from $1,550 in Walla Walla to $1,326 in Kankakee.

Kankakee leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Kankakee sits #292 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Walla Walla is #267/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $9,460 lower ($71,001 → $61,541). Labor-market size: 19,680 tracked jobs at origin vs 36,680 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Illinois scores 58 (D, #31/51) vs Washington at 38 (F, #51/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Walla Walla
Kankakee
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 98.5
RPP 96.4
Kankakee
Rent (2BR)
$1,550/mo
$1,326/mo
Kankakee
Wages
$71,001
$61,541
Walla Walla
Crime
329 per 100K
277 per 100K
Kankakee
Schools
17.6:1
14:1
Kankakee
Childcare
$15,987/yr
$12,257/yr
Kankakee
Environment
2879 violations
3029 violations
Walla Walla

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Washington
38 F #51/51
Income tax
63
Property tax
63
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
18
Destination state · Illinois
58 D #31/51
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 Walla Walla to see what you'd need to earn in Kankakee to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Kankakee
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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