Pocatello → Fargo
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Pocatello to Fargo is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 88.9 to 90.9 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $61/mo.
- +$10,249
- BLS median salary higher in Fargo
- 235 to 257
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 17.1:1 to 11.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $3,610
- DOL infant care higher / 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.
Pros of Moving
- + $61/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + $10K higher median salary
- + Better student-teacher ratios
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - More expensive childcare
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 88.9 to 90.9 (ratio 1.02), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $61/mo ($732/yr) from $1,173 in Pocatello to $1,112 in Fargo.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Fargo sits #4 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Pocatello is #92/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $10,249 higher ($59,267 → $69,516). Labor-market size: 29,080 tracked jobs at origin vs 142,800 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors the destination: North Dakota scores 69 (C, #9/51) vs Idaho at 58 (D, #30/51). 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
- 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 Pocatello to see what you'd need to earn in Fargo 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