State College → Elkhart-Goshen
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from State College to Elkhart-Goshen is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 96.8 to 90.3 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $223/mo.
- -$2,693
- BLS median salary lower in Elkhart-Goshen
- 250 to 308
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 13.6:1 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
- + 6% lower cost of living
- + $223/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - $3K lower median salary
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 96.8 to 90.3, so each dollar covers more in Elkhart-Goshen (ratio 0.93). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $223/mo ($2,676/yr) from $1,406 in State College to $1,183 in Elkhart-Goshen.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Elkhart-Goshen sits #141 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). State College is #196/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $2,693 lower ($62,669 → $59,976). Labor-market size: 54,000 tracked jobs at origin vs 122,290 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Pennsylvania 65 (C, #18/51) 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
- 95
- Property tax
- 58
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 72
- 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 State College 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