Bismarck → Milwaukee-Waukesha
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Bismarck to Milwaukee-Waukesha is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 91.0 to 96.9 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $163/mo.
- +$648
- BLS median salary higher in Milwaukee-Waukesha
- 257 to 280
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 11.8:1 to 14.4:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $331
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Milwaukee-Waukesha
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
- - 6% higher cost of living
- - $163/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 91.0 to 96.9, so the same paycheck buys less in Milwaukee-Waukesha (ratio 1.06). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $163/mo ($1,956/yr) from $1,175 in Bismarck to $1,338 in Milwaukee-Waukesha.
Bismarck still leads on 6 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Milwaukee-Waukesha sits #208 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Bismarck is #9/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $648 higher ($70,851 → $71,499). Labor-market size: 64,970 tracked jobs at origin vs 800,340 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors staying put: North Dakota scores 69 (C, #9/51) 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
- 75
- Property tax
- 59
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 94
- 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 Bismarck to see what you'd need to earn in Milwaukee-Waukesha to maintain the same purchasing power.
Milwaukee-Waukesha 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