Analysis of Median Incomes as Adjusted for the Costs of Goods and Services in the 100 Most Populous Metro Areas

Abstract

In 2007 the Center for Public Affairs Research (CPAR) released an analysis of 2006 American Community Survey (ACS) income data from the U. S. Census Bureau. These data were adjusted for the costs of goods as services (COGS) using indices released by the Council for Community and Economic Research. At that time the Omaha metro area ranked 2nd best among the 100 most populous metros for which data were available regarding this “purchasing power”. The Omaha metro’s median income in 2006 dollars was $51,627, but when accounting for Omaha’s relatively low cost of goods and services, this income had a purchasing power of$58,303. This trailed only the Raleigh, North Carolina metro area in terms of income adjusted for the costs of goods and services and bested other notable metros such as Kansas City (ranked 7th), the Washington, DC metro (9th), Dallas-Fort Worth (12tz) , Denver (13th), and Chicago (25th). Joining Raleigh and Omaha in the top 5 metros on this measure were Des Moines, Atlanta, and Colorado Springs