Jacksonville Grand Forks

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Jacksonville to Grand Forks is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 99.5 to 86.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $14/mo.

-$1,535
BLS median salary lower in Grand Forks
210 to 257
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17.8:1 to 11.8:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$420
DOL infant care higher / yr in Grand Forks

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
Favorable
Cost Index: 99.5 → 86.7
Rent Delta: -$14/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 13% lower cost of living
  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - Higher violent crime rate

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 99.5 to 86.7, so each dollar covers more in Grand Forks (ratio 0.87). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent barely moves ($1,103 → $1,089); the housing line is not the swing factor on this corridor.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Grand Forks sits #1 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Jacksonville is #180/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $1,535 lower ($67,763 → $66,228). Labor-market size: 749,800 tracked jobs at origin vs 46,030 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Florida 62 (C, #23/51) vs North Dakota 69 (C, #9/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Jacksonville
Grand Forks
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 99.5
RPP 86.7
Grand Forks
Rent (2BR)
$1,103/mo
$1,089/mo
Grand Forks
Wages
$67,763
$66,228
Jacksonville
Crime
210 per 100K
257 per 100K
Jacksonville
Schools
17.8:1
11.8:1
Grand Forks
Childcare
$10,505/yr
$10,925/yr
Jacksonville
Environment
2736 violations
185 violations
Grand Forks

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 · Florida
62 C #23/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
67
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
12
Destination state · North Dakota
69 C #9/51
Income tax
75
Property tax
59
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
94

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 Jacksonville to see what you'd need to earn in Grand Forks to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Grand Forks
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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