Ames → Racine-Mount Pleasant
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Ames to Racine-Mount Pleasant is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 88.8 to 96.0 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $209/mo.
- +$1,469
- BLS median salary higher in Racine-Mount Pleasant
- 238 to 280
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 14.8:1 to 14.4:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $2,950
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Racine-Mount Pleasant
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
- - 7% higher cost of living
- - $209/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - More expensive childcare
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 88.8 to 96.0, so the same paycheck buys less in Racine-Mount Pleasant (ratio 1.08). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $209/mo ($2,508/yr) from $1,026 in Ames to $1,235 in Racine-Mount Pleasant.
Ames still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Racine-Mount Pleasant sits #163 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Ames is #15/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $1,469 higher ($64,722 → $66,191). Labor-market size: 48,070 tracked jobs at origin vs 70,050 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Iowa scores 70 (B, #8/51) vs Wisconsin at 57 (D, #32/51). 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
- 85
- Property tax
- 58
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 42
- Income tax
- 62
- Property tax
- 56
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 40
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 Racine-Mount Pleasant to maintain the same purchasing power.
Racine-Mount Pleasant metro profile · Livability rankings · Methodology
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