Fort Wayne Janesville-Beloit

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Fort Wayne to Janesville-Beloit is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 92.6 to 93.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $133/mo.

+$2,116
BLS median salary higher in Janesville-Beloit
308 to 280
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
15.9:1 to 14.4:1
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.

Verdict
Neutral, depends on priorities
Cost Index: 92.6 → 93.7
Rent Delta: +$133/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $2K higher median salary
  • + Better student-teacher ratios

Cons of Moving

  • - $133/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 92.6 to 93.7 (ratio 1.01), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $133/mo ($1,596/yr) from $1,113 in Fort Wayne to $1,246 in Janesville-Beloit.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Janesville-Beloit sits #124 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Fort Wayne is #171/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $2,116 higher ($61,404 → $63,520). Labor-market size: 217,390 tracked jobs at origin vs 64,420 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Indiana 62 (C, #24/51) vs Wisconsin 57 (D, #32/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Fort Wayne
Janesville-Beloit
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 92.6
RPP 93.7
Fort Wayne
Rent (2BR)
$1,113/mo
$1,246/mo
Fort Wayne
Wages
$61,404
$63,520
Janesville-Beloit
Crime
308 per 100K
280 per 100K
Janesville-Beloit
Schools
15.9:1
14.4:1
Janesville-Beloit
Childcare
N/A
$11,256/yr
Tie
Environment
1514 violations
2317 violations
Fort Wayne

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 · Indiana
62 C #24/51
Income tax
72
Property tax
69
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
32
Destination state · Wisconsin
57 D #32/51
Income tax
62
Property tax
56
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
40

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 Wayne to see what you'd need to earn in Janesville-Beloit to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Janesville-Beloit
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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