Pocatello → Fairbanks-College
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Pocatello to Fairbanks-College is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 88.9 to 103.2 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $503/mo.
- +$14,458
- BLS median salary higher in Fairbanks-College
- 235 to 728
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 17.1:1 to 15.2:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $8,610
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Fairbanks-College
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
- + $14K higher median salary
- + Better student-teacher ratios
Cons of Moving
- - 14% higher cost of living
- - $503/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - More expensive childcare
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 88.9 to 103.2, so the same paycheck buys less in Fairbanks-College (ratio 1.16). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $503/mo ($6,036/yr) from $1,173 in Pocatello to $1,676 in Fairbanks-College.
Pocatello still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Fairbanks-College sits #352 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Pocatello is #92/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $14,458 higher ($59,267 → $73,725). Labor-market size: 29,080 tracked jobs at origin vs 28,710 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Idaho scores 58 (D, #30/51) vs Alaska at 45 (F, #47/51). 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
- 70
- Property tax
- 76
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 24
- Income tax
- 100
- Property tax
- 82
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 6
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 Pocatello to see what you'd need to earn in Fairbanks-College to maintain the same purchasing power.
Fairbanks-College metro profile · Livability rankings · Methodology
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