cost of living

A dollar may not go very far these days, but according to an analysis by the Tax Foundation, even $100 doesn’t go very far in Connecticut.

Connecticut ranked 43rd in the country in Wallethub’s annual ranking of Best and Worst States to Start a Business.

In conceding that a House vote on a tolls bill would likely not happen this year, House Speaker Joe Arsimowicz said, “When you have people that want to paint the picture that Connecticut sucks at all costs and any new thing is going to force people out of the state, it’s a tough narrative to overcome.”

The personal income growth for Connecticut residents was the slowest in the nation in 2017, according to a report by Pew Charitable Trusts. Personal income in Connecticut for 2017 actually dipped .6 percent into the negative, and the residents’ personal income growth rate since 2007 has been an anemic .6 percent.

What if there was a pattern to the way people moved into and out of Connecticut? Identifying such a pattern would help us understand the strengths and weaknesses of our state. Based on some aggregate data and anecdotal observations, I have a guess. My hypothesis goes like this. Connecticut children finish high school or college and many of them leave the state to continue their education, start their careers or lower their cost of living.