Duluth Baton Rouge

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Duluth to Baton Rouge is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 88.8 to 90.8 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $28/mo.

-$8,518
BLS median salary lower in Baton Rouge
259 to 410
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
15.8:1 to 16.8:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$4,326
DOL infant care lower / yr in Baton Rouge

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
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 88.8 → 90.8
Rent Delta: -$28/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + More affordable childcare

Cons of Moving

  • - $9K lower median salary
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 88.8 to 90.8 (ratio 1.02), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent barely moves ($1,232 → $1,204); the housing line is not the swing factor on this corridor.

Duluth still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Baton Rouge sits #291 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Duluth is #79/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $8,518 lower ($70,452 → $61,934). Labor-market size: 117,960 tracked jobs at origin vs 395,730 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Louisiana scores 67 (C, #15/51) vs Minnesota at 49 (F, #43/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Duluth
Baton Rouge
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 88.8
RPP 90.8
Duluth
Rent (2BR)
$1,232/mo
$1,204/mo
Baton Rouge
Wages
$70,452
$61,934
Duluth
Crime
259 per 100K
410 per 100K
Duluth
Schools
15.8:1
16.8:1
Duluth
Childcare
$11,722/yr
$7,396/yr
Baton Rouge
Environment
1033 violations
14536 violations
Duluth

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 · Minnesota
49 F #43/51
Income tax
60
Property tax
62
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
34
Destination state · Louisiana
67 C #15/51
Income tax
78
Property tax
79
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
8

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 Duluth to see what you'd need to earn in Baton Rouge to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Baton Rouge
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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