Missouri retains No. 11 rank on cost-of-living index

From The Springfield Business Journal

Missouri ranked 11th in the second quarter on a recently released cost-of-living study, on par with the first quarter of the year.

The Show-Me State’s cost-of-living index for the three-month period was 91.6 on a 100-point scale measuring groceries, housing, utilities, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous services and products. A lower score indicates lesser costs, according to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center of the Department of Economic Development, citing data from the Council for Community and Economic Research.

During the quarter ended June 30, Missouri’s index scores were: •    78.6 in housing; •    94.2 in groceries; •    94.8 in transportation; •    95.1 in the miscellaneous category; •    97.2 in health care; •    105.8 in utilities.

The No. 1 state was Mississippi, which held an overall rank of 84.3. Hawaii bottomed the list with its 166.9 index, according to the study.