cost_of_living_scorecard_county
One row per US county. Cost-of-living metrics: EPI family budget components indexed national=100 (housing, food, transportation, healthcare, childcare), USDA food access (food desert %, grocery density, food insecurity), BEA RPP, real median income index, and budget-to-income ratio. MIT Living Wage metrics absent — not automatable per MIT terms of service.
tier —composite_index
overview
overview
All 3,222 US counties. EPI budget components and USDA food access populated. MIT Living Wage absent (terms-of-service constraint).
current vintage — EPI 2026 + BEA RPP 2023 + USDA 2025
history — Snapshot only; rebuilt per vintage
provenance
source & licensing
authority
Economic Policy Institute / U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis / USDA ERS
dataset
Family Budget Calculator; Regional Price Parities; Food Environment Atlas
source url
license
—
citation
Economic Policy Institute (Family Budget 2026) + U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (Regional Price Parities) + USDA ERS (Food Environment Atlas 2025).
schema
fields
| name | type | definition |
|---|---|---|
| budget_to_income_national_pctile | float64 · percent (0–100) | Percentile rank of the county's budget-to-income ratio among all US counties. Higher values indicate that the family budget consumes a larger share of typical income relative to the national distribution. |
| budget_to_income_ratio | float64 · share (0–1) | Ratio of the two-parent, two-child family budget to median household income. Calculated as family_budget_2parent_2child_annual / median_household_income. Values above 1 indicate the typical household cannot afford the basic family budget. |
| budget_to_income_state_pctile | float64 · percent (0–100) | Percentile rank of the county's budget-to-income ratio among counties within the same state. Higher values indicate that the family budget consumes a larger share of typical income relative to in-state peers. |
| childcare_cost_index | float64 · index (base year=100) | Index of county childcare costs relative to the national baseline. Values above 100 indicate above-average childcare costs. |
| childcare_cost_national_pctile | float64 · percent (0–100) | Percentile rank of the county's childcare cost index among all US counties. Higher values indicate relatively higher childcare costs nationally. |
| country_id | string | ISO alpha-2 country code (always 'US' for domestic tables). |
| county_idkey | string | 5-character FIPS code identifying the county.Joins dim.counties on county_id. |
| county_name | string | Human-readable county name corresponding to county_id. |
| epi_data_year | int64 | Calendar year of the Economic Policy Institute Family Budget Calculator data used to estimate county-level cost components. |
| family_budget_2parent_2child_annual | int64 · dollars (nominal) | Annual family budget required for a modest but adequate standard of living for a two-parent, two-child household. Higher values indicate greater overall cost of living. |
| family_budget_national_pctile | float64 · percent (0–100) | Percentile rank of the county's two-parent, two-child family budget among all US counties. Higher values indicate a costlier county relative to the national distribution. |
| family_budget_state_pctile | float64 · percent (0–100) | Percentile rank of the county's two-parent, two-child family budget among counties within the same state. Higher values indicate a costlier county relative to state peers. |
| farmers_markets_per_1k_pop | float64 · rate per 1k | Number of USDA-registered farmers markets per 1,000 county residents. Higher values indicate greater availability of local fresh food options. |
| food_cost_index | float64 · index (base year=100) | Index of county food costs relative to the national baseline. Values above 100 indicate above-average food costs. |
| food_cost_national_pctile | float64 · percent (0–100) | Percentile rank of the county's food cost index among all US counties. Higher values indicate relatively higher food costs nationally. |
| food_desert_national_pctile | float64 · percent (0–100) | Percentile rank of the county's food desert population share among all US counties. Higher values indicate a greater food access burden relative to the national distribution. |
| food_desert_pct_population | float64 · percent (0–100) | Share of the county population living in a USDA-defined food desert (low income and low access to a grocery store). Higher values indicate greater food access hardship. |
| food_desert_state_pctile | float64 · percent (0–100) | Percentile rank of the county's food desert population share among counties within the same state. Higher values indicate a greater food access burden relative to in-state peers. |
| food_insecurity_rate | float64 · percent (0–100) | Estimated share of county residents experiencing food insecurity, as measured by Feeding America or a comparable source. Higher values indicate greater prevalence of inadequate food access. |
| grocery_stores_per_1k_pop | float64 · rate per 1k | Number of grocery stores per 1,000 county residents. Higher values indicate better physical access to food retail. |
| healthcare_cost_index | float64 · index (base year=100) | Index of county healthcare costs relative to the national baseline. Values above 100 indicate above-average healthcare costs. |
| healthcare_cost_national_pctile | float64 · percent (0–100) | Percentile rank of the county's healthcare cost index among all US counties. Higher values indicate relatively higher healthcare costs nationally. |
| housing_cost_index | float64 · index (base year=100) | Index of county housing costs relative to the national baseline. Values above 100 indicate above-average housing costs. |
| median_household_income | float64 · dollars (nominal) | Median annual household income in the county, typically sourced from the Census Bureau American Community Survey. Higher values indicate greater typical household earnings. |
| real_median_income_index | float64 · index (US avg=100) | County median household income adjusted for local price levels (using RPP) and expressed as an index relative to the national average. Values above 100 indicate above-average real purchasing power. |
| real_median_income_national_pctile | float64 · percent (0–100) | Percentile rank of the county's real median income index among all US counties. Higher values indicate greater price-adjusted household purchasing power relative to the nation. |
| real_median_income_state_pctile | float64 · percent (0–100) | Percentile rank of the county's real median income index among counties within the same state. Higher values indicate greater price-adjusted household purchasing power relative to in-state peers. |
| regional_price_parity_overall | float64 · index (US avg=100) | Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity index measuring overall price level in the county relative to the national average. Values above 100 indicate a more expensive area. |
| rpp_geographic_basis | string | Geographic unit at which the Regional Price Parity estimate is sourced (e.g., county, MSA, state). Indicates the spatial resolution of the RPP value applied to this row. |
| snap_authorized_stores_per_1k_pop | float64 · rate per 1k | Number of SNAP-authorized retail food stores per 1,000 county residents. Higher values indicate greater access to stores accepting federal nutrition benefits. |
| state_id | string | 2-character FIPS code identifying the state.Joins dim.states on state_id. |
| transportation_cost_index | float64 · index (base year=100) | Index of county transportation costs relative to the national baseline. Values above 100 indicate above-average transportation costs. |
relationships
joins
primary key
county_id
common joins
dim.geographies on county_id
cost_of_living_family_budget_county_family_type on county_id
housing_cost_of_living_county_year on (county_id, year)
usage
how to use this table
method
Joins EPI family budget components (indexed to national=100), USDA food access metrics, BEA RPP, and a real-median-income index. Computes budget_to_income_ratio = total_budget / median_household_income.
do not use for
MIT Living Wage comparisons (not included); historical trends (snapshot).
known issues
MIT Living Wage metrics absent - not automatable per MIT terms of service.
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last updated · May 5, 2026