E-mail this pageThe Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER)
Cost of Living Index Results
Since 2004, the Technical Assistance Center at SUNY Plattsburgh (TAC) has conducted this quarterly price survey for the American Chamber of Commerce Research Association (ACCRA), now known as the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER). The Cost of Living study measures differences in costs for consumer goods and services across regions, exclusive of taxes. It is a snapshot of the costs of a broad range of these goods and services at a given time period within a community, in comparison with other urbanized areas. The study is open to all communities where county populations exceed 50,000 and where population of the city/area measured exceeds 35,000. In the case of Plattsburgh, the City and Town of Plattsburgh and immediate suburbs are included within the reasearch area.
The complete quarterly C2ER Cost of Living Index is available by subscription. For more information, visit C2ER's website at www.c2er.org or call (703) 522-4980.
Cost of Living in Plattsburgh Area Stays Slightly Higher than National Index
November, 2009
TheTechnical Assistance Center (TAC) at SUNY Plattsburgh reports the latest research for local cost of living data, based in The Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) published results for the third quarter 2009 Cost of Living Index. TAC gathers the data for this report locally and provides it to C2ER as part of that organization's nationwide community analysis.
These results show that, based in an index covering six categories - housing, utilities, gorcery items, transportation, health care and miscellaneous goods and services - the cost of living in Plattsburgh continues to be just above the indexed national average, at 102.9%. This means that the area's cost of living is nearly 3% above the average cost of living in the 315 cities included in the research. This represents nearly the same level found for the second quarter of this year, which was 103.0% of the national average. The Plattsburgh area, which has been participating in the index since 2004, typically shows costs fluctuating within one to three percentage points above or below national levels.
Plattsburgh falls near the middle of other upstate New York communities ranked by this index for affordability. The closest region to Plattsburgh in New York State included in the study is Glens Falls which falls at 108.4% of the national index. The nearest city to Plattsburgh included in the study is Burlington, Vermont, which is 117.8% of the national index. These measures indicate a significant cost advantage to the Plattsburgh/Clinton County region in comparison to its nearest small city neighbors.
Buffalo, Binghamton, Rochester and Syracuse, New York all exhibit rates slightly lower than the 100% index. Ithaca, New York shows a slightly lower index rate than Plattsburgh at 102.4% while the Poughkeepsie, New York area is substantially higher at 119%. Manhattan (New York, NY) remains the most expensive urban area in the country, at over twice the national average (214.7%), and Pueblo Creek, Colorado is the least expensive, at 84.3%.
Grocery items and miscellaneous goods and services (which covers a wide variety of items such as fast food, clothing, newspaper subscription and repair services) in Plattsburgh continue to show levels below the indexed national rate. Both categories' costs are approximately 97% of the nationwide index. Utilities, transportation, housing and health care costs in Plattsburgh ranked slightly above national averages. Utilities represent the highest group of costs in Plattsburgh at just over 12% greater than the national index rate. Utility costs have been trending higher for the last several years, according to research.
Housing costs also show increases from quarter to quarter in Plattsburgh during the last year. This strengthens the argument that the housing market in the Plattsburgh area is not losing value as it has in many parts of the country during this time. The research provides evidence that the area housing market is making small gains in value, which is corroborated by county level data from the New York State Association of Realtors. The data includes both home ownership and rental costs.
TAC Assistant Director Victoria Zinser Duley comments that "Plattsburgh continues to show relative affordability in comparison with nearby cities included in this research. We know that we have a high quality of life here, so it is encouraging that there are continued cost advatages to living in the region as well. The steady housing market and relative affordability of household staples are important strengths for our area."
Contact Information
For more information about the Technical Assistance Center at SUNY Plattsburgh, please contact:
E-mail: tac@plattsburgh.edu
Phone: (518) 564-2214
194 US Oval
Plattsburgh, NY 12903