Amarillo Fargo

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Amarillo to Fargo is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 91.8 to 90.9 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $6/mo.

+$9,092
BLS median salary higher in Fargo
395 to 257
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
14.7:1 to 11.8:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$3,359
DOL infant care higher / yr in Fargo

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
Strongly Favorable
Cost Index: 91.8 → 90.9
Rent Delta: +$6/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $9K higher median salary
  • + Lower violent crime rate
  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - More expensive childcare

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 91.8 to 90.9 (ratio 0.99), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent barely moves ($1,106 → $1,112); the housing line is not the swing factor on this corridor.

Fargo leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Fargo sits #4 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Amarillo is #246/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $9,092 higher ($60,424 → $69,516). Labor-market size: 113,150 tracked jobs at origin vs 142,800 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Texas 65 (C, #19/51) vs North Dakota 69 (C, #9/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Amarillo
Fargo
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 91.8
RPP 90.9
Fargo
Rent (2BR)
$1,106/mo
$1,112/mo
Amarillo
Wages
$60,424
$69,516
Fargo
Crime
395 per 100K
257 per 100K
Fargo
Schools
14.7:1
11.8:1
Fargo
Childcare
$7,566/yr
$10,925/yr
Amarillo
Environment
35693 violations
185 violations
Fargo

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 · Texas
65 C #19/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
55
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
44
Destination state · North Dakota
69 C #9/51
Income tax
75
Property tax
59
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
94

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 Amarillo to see what you'd need to earn in Fargo to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Fargo
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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