HARLINGEN COST OF LIVING IN 2008 RANKS FOURTH LOWEST IN U.S.
Harlingen, Texas (March 18, 2009) -- The cost of living in Harlingen, Texas ranked fourth lowest in the nation for 2008, according to the report prepared by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER). The report represents the average prices for the first three quarters of 2008. An earlier report, released in October 2008, on the third quarter average cost of living for 2008 ranked Harlingen eighth lowest in the U.S.
“Our low cost of living helps us promote Harlingen as an excellent place to live and do business,” according to Bill Martin of the Harlingen Economic Development Corporation. “Cost of living is a major factor companies and site location consultants use in determining where to locate and expand,” Martin continued.
The ACCRA Cost of Living Index, published quarterly by C2ER, measures regional differences in the cost of consumer goods and services, excluding taxes and non-consumer expenditures, for professional and managerial households. 322 urban areas participated in the study.
Harlingen’s Cost of Living Index was 85.3 compared to a national average of 100. The “composite index” is based on six components. The components (and the index for Harlingen) were: grocery items (83.4), housing (72.7), utilities (115.5), transportation (89.4), health care (97.0) and miscellaneous goods and services (85.2).
New York City had the highest cost of living index (219.8) and Joplin, Missouri had the lowest (82.7).
“Being able to boast a cost of living 14.7 percent below the national average is useful in our economic development efforts,” according to Martin. “With our housing costs over 27 percent below the national average, we look pretty good to executives living in areas with high housing costs.”
Martin cited recent new facility announcements by UnitedHealth Group (700 new jobs) and Spring Dynamics (a Michigan based auto parts manufacturer) as indication of the strong business climate in Harlingen.
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For more information, contact:
Bill Martin
Harlingen Economic Development Corp.