Morgantown → Yakima
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Morgantown to Yakima is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 93.3 to 95.5 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $275/mo.
- +$9,594
- BLS median salary higher in Yakima
- 242 to 329
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 13.1:1 to 17.6:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $7,013
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Yakima
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
- + $10K higher median salary
Cons of Moving
- - $275/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
- - More expensive childcare
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 93.3 to 95.5 (ratio 1.02), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $275/mo ($3,300/yr) from $1,099 in Morgantown to $1,374 in Yakima.
Morgantown still leads on 6 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Yakima sits #202 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Morgantown is #25/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $9,594 higher ($60,408 → $70,002). Labor-market size: 57,550 tracked jobs at origin vs 90,310 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors staying put: West Virginia scores 82 (A, #2/51) vs Washington at 38 (F, #51/51). 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
- 80
- Property tax
- 86
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 64
- Income tax
- 63
- Property tax
- 63
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 18
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 Morgantown to see what you'd need to earn in Yakima 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