Misery
Between the second and third quarters of 2015, the general level of misery experienced by people in the United States decreased and remains well below the 2014 level. This can be attributed to continued decreases in the unemployment rate, low levels of inflation and increases in housing prices. The level of misery in Kansas decreased slightly between the second and third quarters and remains somewhat below the 2014 level. The Misery Index, as calculated by the Center for Economic Development and Business Research (CEDBR), includes the following components: The Consumer Price Index (CPI) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics The House Price Index (HPI) from the Federal Housing Finance Agency Unemployment Rates (UR) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
People in the U.S. less miserable than in 2014
Between the second and third quarters of 2015, the general level of misery experienced by people in the United States decreased and remains well below the 2014 level. This can be attributed to a small decrease in the unemployment rate, low levels of inflation and increases in housing prices. The level of misery in Kansas decreased slightly between the second and third quarters and remains somewhat below the 2014 level.
The Misery Index, as calculated by the Center for Economic Development and Business Research (CEDBR), includes the following components:
- The Consumer Price Index (CPI) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
- The House Price Index (HPI) from the Federal Housing Finance Agency
- Unemployment Rates (UR) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Read the complete third quarter report.
Misery Index Decreased Between First and Second Quarters, 2015
Between the first and second quarters of 2015 the general level of misery experienced by people in the United States decreased. This can be attributed to a small decrease in the unemployment rate, low levels of inflation and increases in housing prices. The level of misery in Kansas increased slightly between the first and second quarters, mostly attributed to a small increase in the quarterly average unemployment rate.
The Misery Index, as calculated by the Center for Economic Development and Business Research (CEDBR), includes the following components:
- The Consumer Price Index (CPI) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
- The House Price Index (HPI) from the Federal Housing Finance Agency
- Unemployment Rates (UR) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Q1 2015 Slight Increase in Misery Still Below Previous Year
Between the fourth quarter of 2014 and the first quarter of 2015 the general level of misery experienced by people in the United States increased. This can be attributed to the general deterioration in unemployment rates in the last quarter. The increase in unemployment was partially off-set by improvements in home prices and a general decrease in inflation. Even with this slight increase in misery, the overall level of misery remains below first quarter 2014 levels.
The Misery Index, as calculated by the Center for Economic Development and Business Research (CEDBR), includes the following components:
- The Consumer Price Index (CPI) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
- The House Price Index (HPI) from the Federal Housing Finance Agency
- Unemployment Rates (UR) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Decrease in Misery Index for 2014, 4th Quarter
Between the third and fourth quarters of 2014 the general level of misery experienced by people in the United States decreased. This can be attributed to the general improvement in both housing prices and the unemployment rate. The level of economic misery experienced by Kansans is lower than in the United States as a whole, and decreased by more than the United States in the fourth quarter.
The Misery Index, as calculated by the Center for Economic Development and Business Research (CEDBR), includes the following components:
- The Consumer Price Index (CPI) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
- The House Price Index (HPI) from the Federal Housing Finance Agency
- Unemployment Rates (UR) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics