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Show Socioeconomic Indicators Cost of Living Compiled by Ryan Bowcut 2002 Salt Lake City Cost of Living Index: All Items: 99.0; Health Care: 87.9 The American Chamber of Commerce Researchers Association (ACCRA) Cost of Living Index includes comparative data for approximately 314 urban areas. The index consists of price comparisons for a single point in time, and does not measure inflation or price changes over time. The cost of consumer goods and services in the urban areas is measured and compared with a national average of 100. The composite index is based on six components: grocery items, housing, utilities, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous goods and services. Health care is weighted as 5% of the overall composite index. Through the 1980s and 1990s, the health care index for Salt Lake City was generally higher than the composite index. This trend has shifted in recent years. Since 1999, the health care index has dropped approximately 21 points, and now sits well below the national average (Table 2). The 2002 health care index of 87.9 means that a Salt Lake City resident earning an after-tax income 12.1% smaller than the average U.S. earner could still receive health care comparable to that of the average U.S. resident. Utah's other urban areas have health indexes slightly different than that of the Salt Lake area, but since 1999, all have been below the national index (Table 1, Figure 1). 115.0 -, 110.0 - I 10 5.0 - I 100.0 - _l I 9 5.0 - o O 90 .0 - 8 5 .0 Table 1. Salt Lake City Cost of Living Index as a Percentage of U.S., 1981-2002. Year All Items Health Care 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 101.7 101.4 99.3 98.3 95.6 103.2 105.3 101.6 106.1 100.9 1990 1991 1992 1993 92.0 93.8 96.9 96.8 93.7 93.3 101.1 99.6 1994 97.5 108.6 1995 1996 1997 99.6 96.7 105.1 109.0 108.1 104.5 1998 1999 104.2 106.5 105.9 108.8 2000 2001 103.1 98.1 98.7 91.5 2002 99.0 87.9 Table 2. Cost of Living Comparisons to U.S. Index, Select Utah Urban Areas, 1999-2002. Year Provo/ Salt Lake Cedar Orem City City Logan St. George All Items 1999 96.5 106.5 91.1 101.6 102.2 2000 99.2 103.1 93.3 94.4 96.4 2001 109.7 98.1 93.7 97.1 96.0 2002 94.1 99.0 95.5 * 93.9 Health 1999 87.0 108.8 89.7 88.3 96.8 2000 90.9 98.7 92.2 90.2 96.3 H e a Ith C a re 1994 Yea r Figure 1. Salt Lake City Cost of Living Index, Percentage of U.S., 1985-2002. Sources: American Chamber of Commerce Researchers Association. Cost of Living Index. Arlington, VA. Vols. 18-35. [Online] ht^rA 70 Utah's Health: An Annual Review Volume DC |