Dubuque → Ames
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Dubuque to Ames is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 87.3 to 88.8 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $51/mo.
- +$2,792
- BLS median salary higher in Ames
- 238 to 238
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 14.8:1 to 14.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $0
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Ames
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
- + $51/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + $3K higher median salary
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 87.3 to 88.8 (ratio 1.02), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $51/mo ($612/yr) from $1,077 in Dubuque to $1,026 in Ames.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (2 destination wins · 1 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Ames sits #15 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Dubuque is #33/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $2,792 higher ($61,930 → $64,722). Labor-market size: 51,410 tracked jobs at origin vs 48,070 at destination.
Both metros sit in Iowa: state retirement score 70 (B, #8/51) - tax posture does not change with this move. 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
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 Ames 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