St. Joseph → Elkhart-Goshen
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from St. Joseph to Elkhart-Goshen is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 86.4 to 90.3 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $106/mo.
- -$1,575
- BLS median salary lower in Elkhart-Goshen
- 463 to 308
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 12.8:1 to 15.9:1
- 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
- + Lower violent crime rate
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - 4% higher cost of living
- - $106/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 86.4 to 90.3 (ratio 1.05), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $106/mo ($1,272/yr) from $1,077 in St. Joseph to $1,183 in Elkhart-Goshen.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (2 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Elkhart-Goshen sits #141 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). St. Joseph is #120/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $1,575 lower ($61,551 → $59,976). Labor-market size: 49,300 tracked jobs at origin vs 122,290 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Missouri 68 (C, #12/51) vs Indiana 62 (C, #24/51). 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
- 82
- Property tax
- 68
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 80
- Income tax
- 72
- Property tax
- 69
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 32
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 St. Joseph to see what you'd need to earn in Elkhart-Goshen to maintain the same purchasing power.
Elkhart-Goshen 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