Winston-Salem → Waco
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Winston-Salem to Waco is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 92.0 to 92.5 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $13/mo.
- -$3,174
- BLS median salary lower in Waco
- 365 to 395
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 15.8:1 to 14.7:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $1,921
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Waco
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
- + Better student-teacher ratios
- + More affordable childcare
Cons of Moving
- - $3K lower median salary
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 92.0 to 92.5 (ratio 1.01), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent barely moves ($960 → $973); the housing line is not the swing factor on this corridor.
Winston-Salem still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Waco sits #233 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Winston-Salem is #82/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $3,174 lower ($63,918 → $60,744). Labor-market size: 259,100 tracked jobs at origin vs 117,690 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: North Carolina 68 (C, #13/51) vs Texas 65 (C, #19/51). 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
- 68
- Property tax
- 66
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 30
- Income tax
- 100
- Property tax
- 55
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 44
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 Winston-Salem to see what you'd need to earn in Waco 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