Waterloo-Cedar Falls → Springfield
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Waterloo-Cedar Falls to Springfield is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 87.1 to 92.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $152/mo.
- +$8,925
- BLS median salary higher in Springfield
- 238 to 277
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 14.8:1 to 14:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $3,951
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Springfield
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
- + $9K higher median salary
Cons of Moving
- - 6% higher cost of living
- - $152/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - More expensive childcare
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 87.1 to 92.7, so the same paycheck buys less in Springfield (ratio 1.07). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $152/mo ($1,824/yr) from $1,051 in Waterloo-Cedar Falls to $1,203 in Springfield.
Waterloo-Cedar Falls still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Springfield sits #125 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Waterloo-Cedar Falls is #66/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $8,925 higher ($61,344 → $70,269). Labor-market size: 77,420 tracked jobs at origin vs 93,500 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Iowa scores 70 (B, #8/51) vs Illinois at 58 (D, #31/51). 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
- 85
- Property tax
- 58
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 42
- 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls to see what you'd need to earn in Springfield to maintain the same purchasing power.
Springfield metro profile · Livability rankings · Methodology
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