Salary comparison
Social and Human Service Assistants: Bellingham vs Duluth
Duluth, MN pays about 3.3% more for social and human service assistants on paper — $56,120 vs $54,320. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, Duluth comes out ahead by $1,800 a year in real buying power.
Bellingham, WA
$54,320
$46,440
$63,940
$26.12
100
$54,320/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
Duluth, MN
$56,120
$44,880
$67,510
$26.98
100
$56,120/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $1,800 a year (3.3%) in favor of Duluth. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
Bellingham runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; Duluth sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, Duluth is the better deal by $1,800 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Bellingham to Duluth for this role, the raise needs to beat 3.3% to come out ahead after living costs. Anything below that and you are earning more on paper but keeping less.
Common questions
Where do social and human service assistants earn more, Bellingham or Duluth?
Duluth pays $56,120 on median — about 3.3% more than Bellingham ($54,320). Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Which city is the better deal after living costs?
Duluth. Once you divide each median by the local cost index, Duluth gives you roughly$56,120 of real buying power versus $54,320 in the other city.