Lawrence → Rapid City
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Lawrence to Rapid City is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 90.2 to 89.2 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $9/mo.
- -$4,994
- BLS median salary lower in Rapid City
- 456 to 320
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 13.8:1 to 13.6:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $812
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Rapid 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
- + Lower violent crime rate
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - $5K lower median salary
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 90.2 to 89.2 (ratio 0.99), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent barely moves ($1,182 → $1,173); the housing line is not the swing factor on this corridor.
Rapid City leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Rapid City sits #230 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Lawrence is #212/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $4,994 lower ($66,141 → $61,147). Labor-market size: 44,630 tracked jobs at origin vs 68,240 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors the destination: South Dakota scores 73 (B, #7/51) vs Kansas at 63 (C, #21/51). 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
- 68
- Property tax
- 61
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 54
- Income tax
- 100
- Property tax
- 64
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 70
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 Lawrence to see what you'd need to earn in Rapid 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