It doesn’t take a rocket scientist or even a hot dog vendor to figure out this report is poppycock;
The low cost of living boosts South Dakota’s per capita personal income for 2009 from $38,374, ranked 26th, to $45,900. Sioux Falls’ RPR is 88.6 with an adjusted per capita personal income of $45,100.
Per capita. What a bullshit way of determining wealth and income in South Dakota. We all know the separation of the rich and poor in this state is huge;
Nesiba (ECON PROF, Augie) said the study would have been better if it used median incomes rather than per capita income.
“I think the per capita average inflates the overall perceived welfare of South Dakota,” because a small number of people with high incomes can skew the data.
He added that while it’s clear that South Dakota has a lower cost of living, the study doesn’t show the full picture. He cited the number of people using housing assistance or food stamps and the fact that the state has a high number of working moms, for instance.
“I think all of those things are motivated by the fact that we have low wages,” he said.
I would love to see the numbers. Who is making 45 grand a year, who makes below that and who makes above that? Is cost of living in SD low? Sure. Wanna know why? Because business knows if they would charge more for their services they would have no customers.