Anniston-Oxford Dubuque

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Anniston-Oxford to Dubuque is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 85.9 to 87.3 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $115/mo.

+$8,639
BLS median salary higher in Dubuque
376 to 238
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17.7:1 to 14.8:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$1,410
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.

Verdict
Neutral, depends on priorities
Cost Index: 85.9 → 87.3
Rent Delta: +$115/mo

Pros of Moving

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

Cons of Moving

  • - $115/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - More expensive childcare
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 85.9 to 87.3 (ratio 1.02), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $115/mo ($1,380/yr) from $962 in Anniston-Oxford to $1,077 in Dubuque.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Dubuque sits #33 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Anniston-Oxford is #77/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $8,639 higher ($53,291 → $61,930). Labor-market size: 37,350 tracked jobs at origin vs 51,410 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Alabama 75 (B, #5/51) vs Iowa 70 (B, #8/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Anniston-Oxford
Dubuque
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 85.9
RPP 87.3
Anniston-Oxford
Rent (2BR)
$962/mo
$1,077/mo
Anniston-Oxford
Wages
$53,291
$61,930
Dubuque
Crime
376 per 100K
238 per 100K
Dubuque
Schools
17.7:1
14.8:1
Dubuque
Childcare
$6,896/yr
$8,306/yr
Anniston-Oxford
Environment
538 violations
742 violations
Anniston-Oxford

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 · Alabama
75 B #5/51
Income tax
90
Property tax
92
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
20
Destination state · Iowa
70 B #8/51
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 Anniston-Oxford to see what you'd need to earn in Dubuque to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Dubuque
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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