Beckley Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Beckley to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 88.4 to 103.1 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $1,016/mo.

+$16,482
BLS median salary higher in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
242 to 395
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
13.1:1 to 14.7:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$1,408
DOL infant care lower / yr in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

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
Unfavorable
Cost Index: 88.4 → 103.1
Rent Delta: +$1,016/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $16K higher median salary
  • + More affordable childcare

Cons of Moving

  • - 15% higher cost of living
  • - $1016/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 88.4 to 103.1, so the same paycheck buys less in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (ratio 1.17). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $1,016/mo ($12,192/yr) from $915 in Beckley to $1,931 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington.

Beckley still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington sits #351 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Beckley is #10/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $16,482 higher ($56,994 → $73,476). Labor-market size: 37,740 tracked jobs at origin vs 4,019,090 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: West Virginia scores 82 (A, #2/51) vs Texas at 65 (C, #19/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Beckley
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 88.4
RPP 103.1
Beckley
Rent (2BR)
$915/mo
$1,931/mo
Beckley
Wages
$56,994
$73,476
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Crime
242 per 100K
395 per 100K
Beckley
Schools
13.1:1
14.7:1
Beckley
Childcare
$8,974/yr
$7,566/yr
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Environment
2508 violations
35693 violations
Beckley

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 · West Virginia
82 A #2/51
Income tax
80
Property tax
86
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
64
Destination state · Texas
65 C #19/51
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 Beckley to see what you'd need to earn in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
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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