Weirton-Steubenville Altoona

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Weirton-Steubenville to Altoona is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 89.0 to 89.5 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $165/mo.

+$17
BLS median salary higher in Altoona
242 to 250
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
13.1:1 to 13.6:1
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.

Verdict
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 89.0 → 89.5
Rent Delta: +$165/mo

Cons of Moving

  • - $165/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 89.0 to 89.5 (ratio 1.01), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $165/mo ($1,980/yr) from $973 in Weirton-Steubenville to $1,138 in Altoona.

Weirton-Steubenville still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Altoona sits #41 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Weirton-Steubenville is #17/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $17 higher ($57,318 → $57,335). Labor-market size: 29,900 tracked jobs at origin vs 52,800 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: West Virginia scores 82 (A, #2/51) vs Pennsylvania at 65 (C, #18/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Weirton-Steubenville
Altoona
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 89.0
RPP 89.5
Weirton-Steubenville
Rent (2BR)
$973/mo
$1,138/mo
Weirton-Steubenville
Wages
$57,318
$57,335
Altoona
Crime
242 per 100K
250 per 100K
Weirton-Steubenville
Schools
13.1:1
13.6:1
Weirton-Steubenville
Childcare
$8,974/yr
N/A
Tie
Environment
2508 violations
5292 violations
Weirton-Steubenville

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 · West Virginia
82 A #2/51
Income tax
80
Property tax
86
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
64
Destination state · Pennsylvania
65 C #18/51
Income tax
95
Property tax
58
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
72

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 Weirton-Steubenville to see what you'd need to earn in Altoona to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Altoona
-

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