Fort Smith → Ocala
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Fort Smith to Ocala is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 85.9 to 95.2 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $436/mo.
- +$5,135
- BLS median salary higher in Ocala
- 580 to 210
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 13.6:1 to 17.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
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
- + $5K higher median salary
- + Lower violent crime rate
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - 9% higher cost of living
- - $436/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 85.9 to 95.2, so the same paycheck buys less in Ocala (ratio 1.11). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $436/mo ($5,232/yr) from $937 in Fort Smith to $1,373 in Ocala.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Ocala sits #314 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Fort Smith is #50/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $5,135 higher ($53,744 → $58,879). Labor-market size: 89,060 tracked jobs at origin vs 110,400 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Arkansas scores 74 (B, #6/51) vs Florida at 62 (C, #23/51). 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
- 75
- Property tax
- 78
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 68
- Income tax
- 100
- Property tax
- 67
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 12
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 Fort Smith to see what you'd need to earn in Ocala 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