Pittsfield Fargo

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Pittsfield to Fargo is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 95.1 to 90.9 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $514/mo.

-$3,846
BLS median salary lower in Fargo
309 to 257
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
12.3:1 to 11.8:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$9,646
DOL infant care lower / yr in Fargo

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
Strongly Favorable
Cost Index: 95.1 → 90.9
Rent Delta: -$514/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 4% lower cost of living
  • + $514/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + More affordable childcare
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $4K lower median salary

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 95.1 to 90.9 (ratio 0.96), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $514/mo ($6,168/yr) from $1,626 in Pittsfield to $1,112 in Fargo.

Fargo leads on 6 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Fargo sits #4 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Pittsfield is #53/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $3,846 lower ($73,362 → $69,516). Labor-market size: 50,610 tracked jobs at origin vs 142,800 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: North Dakota scores 69 (C, #9/51) vs Massachusetts at 45 (F, #48/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Pittsfield
Fargo
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 95.1
RPP 90.9
Fargo
Rent (2BR)
$1,626/mo
$1,112/mo
Fargo
Wages
$73,362
$69,516
Pittsfield
Crime
309 per 100K
257 per 100K
Fargo
Schools
12.3:1
11.8:1
Fargo
Childcare
$20,571/yr
$10,925/yr
Fargo
Environment
1140 violations
185 violations
Fargo

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 · Massachusetts
45 F #48/51
Income tax
55
Property tax
65
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
84
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 Pittsfield to see what you'd need to earn in Fargo to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Fargo
-

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