Manhattan → Joplin
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Manhattan to Joplin is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 90.2 to 85.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $171/mo.
- -$3,128
- BLS median salary lower in Joplin
- 456 to 463
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 13.8:1 to 12.8:1
- 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
- + 4% lower cost of living
- + $171/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
Cons of Moving
- - $3K lower median salary
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 90.2 to 85.7 (ratio 0.95), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $171/mo ($2,052/yr) from $1,048 in Manhattan to $877 in Joplin.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Joplin sits #32 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Manhattan is #133/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $3,128 lower ($60,825 → $57,697). Labor-market size: 45,880 tracked jobs at origin vs 77,720 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Kansas 63 (C, #21/51) vs Missouri 68 (C, #12/51). 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
- 82
- Property tax
- 68
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 80
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 Manhattan to see what you'd need to earn in Joplin 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