Archive for 'Rankings'
Top 25 Least Expensive U.S. Cities
June 28th, 2011. Published under Rankings. No Comments.
A report issued Monday by the U.S. government showed core inflation rising 2.5 percent in the last 12 months for its biggest one-year gain since January 2010.
Everyday living is becoming expensive, it seems.
But there are some U.S. towns in which the cost of living remains affordable — and downright cheap — as compared to the national average. They’re detailed in a BusinessWeek piece titled “The Cheapest 25 Cities In The U.S“.
In comparing costs across 340 urban areas as compiled by the Council of Community & Economic Research, cities in Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee and Oklahoma ranked consistently high. Cities in Hawaii did not.
Take note, though. Although the BusinessWeek piece highlights inexpensive cities in which to live, a low cost of living does not necessarily correlate to a high standard of living. Cost-leader Harlingen, Texas, for example, boasts a poverty rate nearly triple the national average.
Other “Inexpensive Cities” feature similar poverty rates.
The Top 10 “cheapest cities”, as shown by BusinessWeek are:
- Harlingen, Texas
- Pueblo, Colorado
- Pryor Creek, Oklahoma
- McAllen, Texas
- Cookeville, Tennessee
- Commerce-Hunt County, Texas
- Brownsville, Texas
- Fort Smith, Arkansas
- Muskogee, Oklahoma
- Springfield, Illinois
And, at the other end of the spectrum, the top 5 most expensive cities/areas were, in order, Manhattan, New York; Brooklyn, New York; Honolulu, Hawaii; San Francisco, CA; and Queens, New York.
Manhattan’s cost of living is more than twice the national average.
The complete list is available at the BusinessWeek website.
How Does Your Real Estate Tax Bill Compare To Other Parts Of The Country?
April 7th, 2011. Published under Rankings. No Comments.
Mortgage rates may be a function of free markets, but real estate taxes are a function of government. And, depending on where you live, your annual real estate tax bill could be high, low, or practically non-existent.
Compiling data from the 2009 American Community Survey, the Tax Foundation, a non-partisan educational organization in Washington D.C., published property taxes paid by owner-occupied households, county-by-county.
The report shows huge disparity in annual property taxes by region, and by state.
As a percentage of home valuation, Southeast homeowners tend to pay the fewest property taxes overall, while Northeast homeowners tend to pay the most. But statistics like that aren’t especially helpful. What’s more useful is to know how local real estate taxes stack up as compared to local, median household incomes.
Not surprisingly, real estate taxes are least affordable to homeowners in the New York Metro area. The 10 U.S. counties with the highest tax-to-income ratios physically surround New York City’s 5 boroughs. The areas with the lowest tax-to-income, by contrast, are predominantly in southern Louisiana.
A sampling from the Tax Foundation list, here is how select counties rank in terms of taxes as a percentage of median income:
- #1 : Passaic County (NJ) : 9.7% of median income
- #6 : Nassau County (NY) : 8.6% of median income
- #15 : Lake County (IL) : 7.2% of median income
- #18 : Cheshire County (NH) : 7.1% of median income
- #70 : Travis County (TX) : 5.0% of median income
- #90 : Marin County (CA) : 4.6% of median income
- #110 : Middlesex County (MA) : 4.4% of median income
- #181 : Sarasota County (FL) : 3.9% of median income
- #481 : Douglas County (CO) : 2.4% of median income
- #716 : Maui County (HI) : 1.3% of median income
The U.S. national average is 3.0 percent.
The complete, sortable list of U.S. counties is available at the Tax Foundation website. For specific tax information in your neighborhood or block, talk with a real estate agent.
How Does Your Work Commute Compare To Other Cities?
April 1st, 2011. Published under Rankings. No Comments.
As part of the Census Bureau’s data collection activities from 2005-2009, a number of interesting charts have been published at http://census.gov.
The data should not be confused with Census 2010 — a separate survey conducted every 10 years. This is the first-ever, 5-year American Community Survey. Based on data from 3 million households, it details social, economic, housing, and demographic data “for every community in the nation“.
Among the surveys:
- Median Household Income, Inflation-Adjusted To 2009 Dollars (Chart)
- Median Housing Value Of Owner-Occupied Housing Units (Chart)
- Percent Of Households That Are Married, With Children Under 18 (Chart)
The ACS survey also charts average commute time by county. The chart is shown at top.
Whether you live in a “long commute” town like Richmond, NY (40 minutes), or a “short commute” town like King, TX (3.4 minutes), rising gas prices have made commute times and distances relevant to everyone.
Since the start of 2011, the average price for gasoline is higher by 54 cents per gallon. Assuming 22 miles per gallon on a passenger car, that’s an increase of 2.5 cents of gasoline per mile driven in the last 90 days. It’s a cost that adds up quickly, and can affect a household budget. Plan for higher pump prices moving forward, too. Historically, gas prices surge between April and June.
The American Community Survey is loaded with charts and data. It can tell you a lot about your current neighborhood, and any neighborhood to which you may want to relocate. Then, to bridge the ACS data with community details such as school performance and typical home prices, talk to a real estate professional.
Relocate America's Top 100 Places To Live (2010 Edition)
May 12th, 2010. Published under Rankings. No Comments.
Relocate America recently released its 2010 list of Top 100 Places To Live In America. The rankings are topped by some cities you may expect, and some you may not.
According to Relocate America, the rankings highlight communities “moving in the right direction”, defined as having a combination of strong leadership, job opportunities, improving real estate markets, recreational options and a good quality of life.
It’s not a bad formula and topping the list of Top 100 Places To Live In America is Huntsville, Alabama. Huntsville was chosen for its low levels of unemployment, stable housing stock, and low cost of living. Last year, Huntsville placed fifth on the Relocate America list.
The Top 10 cities in which to live, as selected by Relocate America are:
- Huntsville, AL
- Washington, DC
- Austin, TX
- San Diego, CA
- San Antonio, TX
- Tulsa, OK
- Charlotte, NC
- Raleigh, NC
- Boulder, CO
- Minneapolis, MN
View the complete Top 100 Places To Live In America 2010 list at the Relocate America website.
Relocate America's Top 100 Places To Live (2010 Edition)
May 12th, 2010. Published under Rankings. No Comments.
Relocate America recently released its 2010 list of Top 100 Places To Live In America. The rankings are topped by some cities you may expect, and some you may not.
According to Relocate America, the rankings highlight communities “moving in the right direction”, defined as having a combination of strong leadership, job opportunities, improving real estate markets, recreational options and a good quality of life.
It’s not a bad formula and topping the list of Top 100 Places To Live In America is Huntsville, Alabama. Huntsville was chosen for its low levels of unemployment, stable housing stock, and low cost of living. Last year, Huntsville placed fifth on the Relocate America list.
The Top 10 cities in which to live, as selected by Relocate America are:
- Huntsville, AL
- Washington, DC
- Austin, TX
- San Diego, CA
- San Antonio, TX
- Tulsa, OK
- Charlotte, NC
- Raleigh, NC
- Boulder, CO
- Minneapolis, MN
View the complete Top 100 Places To Live In America 2010 list at the Relocate America website.
