Des Moines-West Des Moines → Johnson City
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Des Moines-West Des Moines to Johnson City is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 91.7 to 87.9 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $186/mo.
- -$12,874
- BLS median salary lower in Johnson City
- 238 to 602
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 14.8:1 to 15.3:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $446
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Johnson City
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.
Pros of Moving
- + 4% lower cost of living
- + $186/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
Cons of Moving
- - $13K lower median salary
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 91.7 to 87.9 (ratio 0.96), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $186/mo ($2,232/yr) from $1,318 in Des Moines-West Des Moines to $1,132 in Johnson City.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Johnson City sits #249 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Des Moines-West Des Moines is #145/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $12,874 lower ($69,930 → $57,056). Labor-market size: 394,120 tracked jobs at origin vs 74,580 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Iowa 70 (B, #8/51) vs Tennessee 66 (C, #17/51). 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
- 100
- Property tax
- 80
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 36
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 Des Moines-West Des Moines to see what you'd need to earn in Johnson City to maintain the same purchasing power.
Johnson City 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