Wilmington Utica-Rome

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Wilmington to Utica-Rome is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 96.4 to 92.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $254/mo.

+$5,193
BLS median salary higher in Utica-Rome
365 to 380
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
15.8:1 to 11.8:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$4,382
DOL infant care higher / yr in Utica-Rome

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: 96.4 → 92.7
Rent Delta: -$254/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 4% lower cost of living
  • + $254/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + $5K higher median salary
  • + Better student-teacher ratios

Cons of Moving

  • - More expensive childcare
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 96.4 to 92.7 (ratio 0.96), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $254/mo ($3,048/yr) from $1,426 in Wilmington to $1,172 in Utica-Rome.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Utica-Rome sits #54 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Wilmington is #201/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $5,193 higher ($64,296 → $69,489). Labor-market size: 183,460 tracked jobs at origin vs 109,220 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: North Carolina scores 68 (C, #13/51) vs New York at 46 (F, #46/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Wilmington
Utica-Rome
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 96.4
RPP 92.7
Utica-Rome
Rent (2BR)
$1,426/mo
$1,172/mo
Utica-Rome
Wages
$64,296
$69,489
Utica-Rome
Crime
365 per 100K
380 per 100K
Wilmington
Schools
15.8:1
11.8:1
Utica-Rome
Childcare
$9,487/yr
$13,869/yr
Wilmington
Environment
3120 violations
5536 violations
Wilmington

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 · North Carolina
68 C #13/51
Income tax
68
Property tax
66
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
30
Destination state · New York
46 F #46/51
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 Wilmington to see what you'd need to earn in Utica-Rome to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Utica-Rome
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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