Duluth → Bay City
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Duluth to Bay City is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 88.8 to 91.9 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $202/mo.
- -$9,238
- BLS median salary lower in Bay City
- 259 to 431
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 15.8:1 to 17.5:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $4,278
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Bay 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
- + $202/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + More affordable childcare
Cons of Moving
- - 3% higher cost of living
- - $9K lower median salary
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 88.8 to 91.9 (ratio 1.04), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $202/mo ($2,424/yr) from $1,232 in Duluth to $1,030 in Bay City.
Duluth still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Bay City sits #187 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Duluth is #79/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $9,238 lower ($70,452 → $61,214). Labor-market size: 117,960 tracked jobs at origin vs 27,180 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Minnesota 49 (F, #43/51) vs Michigan 49 (F, #42/51). 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
- 60
- Property tax
- 62
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 34
- Income tax
- 72
- Property tax
- 59
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 16
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 Bay City 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