Jobs and The Cost of Living

By George Lorenzo

 

You can obtain an informative indication of where low-wage job opportunities are relatively plentiful in combination with where the cost of living is reasonable by looking at immigration statistics and migration trends. The October 28, 2013  Time magazine cover story, “The United States of Texas: Why the Lone Star State is America’s Future,” provides a very clear example of where low-income populations tend to settle and thrive, and, with some luck along with strong self-discipline and passion, have the opportunity to excel beyond the ordinary. 

In addition to the cover story, written by Tyler Cowen, the cover illustration of this issue of Time is an interesting, attention-grabbing sidebar. Berlin-based illustrator Sarah Illenberger managed to very creatively juxtapose all 50 states into the outline of the state of Texas  (see http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2154995,00.html) for an interesting graphic image to accompany this article.

Cowen provided lots of information concerning our modern-day struggle to survive in a rapidly changing social infrastructure and American workforce.  He starts by noting that the five fastest growing cities in America are located in the state of Texas. This migration to the Lone Star State is not an accident, he wrote, it’s our destiny. Why? 

First off, Texas does not have state income taxes. Secondly, housing is more affordable and jobs are more plentiful, with a current unemployment rate of 6.4% compared to our national average of 7.3% at the time of this writing in late 2013. Third, according to the Time article, gas and produce are cheaper in Texas than most other places in the country. It was also noted that the website MoneyRates showed Texas as having the third highest average income in the U.S. (New York was ranked 36^th). 

Cowen noted that as middle America stagnates (he is also author of a popular book titled “The Great Stagnation” and most recently “Average is Over”), U.S. citizens, in general, are increasingly seeking out a cheaper cost of living. 

The places in the U.S. seeing significant in-migration are largely in relatively inexpensive parts of the Sun Belt. These are, by and large, affordable states with decent records for job creation – often with subpar public services and low taxes. Texas is just the most striking example. But Oklahoma, Colorado, the Carolinas and other parts of the South are benefitting from the same trends – namely that California, New York and other high-tax, high-cost states are no longer such good deals for much of the U.S.’s middle and lower classes. [i]

All this begs the question of what anyone can possibly do to increase their odds for finding decent work, getting a worthwhile education, and keeping overall living expenses down.

Obviously, there is no perfect solution, and every individual’s criteria and circumstances in life for happiness and contentment are unique and different.  For example, if it’s important for you to live in an exciting major metropolis, such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, or Philadelphia, you’ll have to be prepared to accept public transportation as your primary means of getting around in order to cut expenses such as extraordinarily high parking fees, in addition to the typical expenses that come with automobile ownership. There are some new automobile-related services being launched in many cities, such as car sharing arrangements (see ZipCar for instance), that also, over time, are less expensive than owning a car and still allow you to enjoy driving yourself to your important destinations. 

Personally, I could not accept living someplace where I would have to take public transportation every day. I must drive, walk or bike everywhere I go. That’s just the way I am. Millions of other people utilize that time on a subway reading, taking care of business, etc. So, while I am wasting time driving around, getting stressed, and cursing at inconsiderate drivers, the smart people taking public transportation systems are using their time in a much more productive manner, not to mention doing their part in lessening the carbon footprint as well.  

Getting back to the subject at hand, when choosing a place to find decent work, continually improve yourself through lifelong education, and live comfortably without destroying your bank account, a good number of factors need to be taken into account, beginning with whether or not you choose to pursue a low-wage or high-wage career, whether you choose to settle in or excel.

More to come --- comments welcome.

---

[i] Tyler Cowen (October 28, 2013). The United States of Texas: Why the Lone Star State is America’s future. Time Magazine.