Youngstown-Warren Morgantown

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Youngstown-Warren to Morgantown is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 87.4 to 93.3 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $126/mo.

+$2,389
BLS median salary higher in Morgantown
293 to 242
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
18.2:1 to 13.1:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$2,817
DOL infant care lower / yr in Morgantown

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
Neutral, depends on priorities
Cost Index: 87.4 → 93.3
Rent Delta: +$126/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $2K higher median salary
  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + More affordable childcare

Cons of Moving

  • - 6% higher cost of living
  • - $126/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 87.4 to 93.3, so the same paycheck buys less in Morgantown (ratio 1.07). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $126/mo ($1,512/yr) from $973 in Youngstown-Warren to $1,099 in Morgantown.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Morgantown sits #25 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Youngstown-Warren is #173/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $2,389 higher ($58,019 → $60,408). Labor-market size: 152,720 tracked jobs at origin vs 57,550 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: West Virginia scores 82 (A, #2/51) vs Ohio at 59 (D, #29/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Youngstown-Warren
Morgantown
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 87.4
RPP 93.3
Youngstown-Warren
Rent (2BR)
$973/mo
$1,099/mo
Youngstown-Warren
Wages
$58,019
$60,408
Morgantown
Crime
293 per 100K
242 per 100K
Morgantown
Schools
18.2:1
13.1:1
Morgantown
Childcare
$11,791/yr
$8,974/yr
Morgantown
Environment
1500 violations
2508 violations
Youngstown-Warren

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 · Ohio
59 D #29/51
Income tax
72
Property tax
57
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
10
Destination state · West Virginia
82 A #2/51
Income tax
80
Property tax
86
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
64

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 Youngstown-Warren to see what you'd need to earn in Morgantown to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Morgantown
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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