ARCC Reports on Region's Cost of Living

On a national scale where 100 is the average, the Washington-Warren County region's Cost of Living for 2009 rated a 108.9. This "Cost of Living Index" is reported by the American Chamber of Commerce Research Association (ACCRA) and measures data from 322 participating metropolitan region. The local data is provided to ACCRA by the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The ACCRA Cost of Living Index measures the costs of local grocery items, housing, utilities, transportation, health care, and a wide range of additional goods and services used by the typical household. The most expensive metropolitan region in the ACCRA report is Manhattan, New York, with a 217.2 index and the least expensive is Mason City, Iowa, with an 86.3 index. To compare the local region's 108.9 composite index, it may be most helpful to review other metropolitan areas in the Northeast including: Binghamton, NY, at 98.1; Ithaca, NY, at 103.5; Plattsburgh, NY, at 102.2; Syracuse, NY, at 99.2; Burlington, VT, at 119.3; and Pittsfield, MA, at 106.2.