Dubuque → Amarillo
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Dubuque to Amarillo is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 87.3 to 91.8 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $29/mo.
- -$1,506
- BLS median salary lower in Amarillo
- 238 to 395
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 14.8:1 to 14.7:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $740
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Amarillo
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
- - 4% higher cost of living
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 87.3 to 91.8, so the same paycheck buys less in Amarillo (ratio 1.05). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent barely moves ($1,077 → $1,106); the housing line is not the swing factor on this corridor.
Dubuque still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Amarillo sits #246 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Dubuque is #33/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $1,506 lower ($61,930 → $60,424). Labor-market size: 51,410 tracked jobs at origin vs 113,150 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Iowa 70 (B, #8/51) vs Texas 65 (C, #19/51). 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
- 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 Dubuque to see what you'd need to earn in Amarillo to maintain the same purchasing power.
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