Ames → Dubuque
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Ames to Dubuque is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 88.8 to 87.3 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $51/mo.
- -$2,792
- BLS median salary lower in Dubuque
- 238 to 238
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 14.8:1 to 14.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $0
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Dubuque
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.
Cons of Moving
- - $51/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - $3K lower median salary
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 88.8 to 87.3 (ratio 0.98), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $51/mo ($612/yr) from $1,026 in Ames to $1,077 in Dubuque.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (1 destination wins · 2 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Dubuque sits #33 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Ames is #15/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $2,792 lower ($64,722 → $61,930). Labor-market size: 48,070 tracked jobs at origin vs 51,410 at destination.
Both metros sit in Iowa: state retirement score 70 (B, #8/51) - tax posture does not change with this move. 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
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 Ames to see what you'd need to earn in Dubuque 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