Below is a research hub you can use when starting your Challenge 1: Cost of Living Policy Brief.
It is designed to reduce subjectivity by providing credible, standardized datasets and by clarifying what each source is best used for.
Best for:
Consumer Price Index (CPI)
Inflation rates over time
Category-specific inflation (food, housing, energy)
Use when you are asking:
How fast are prices rising?
Which categories are driving inflation?
How does national inflation compare to housing or food inflation?
Search tips:
“CPI data,” “CPI by category,” “CPI over time”
Best for:
Inflation trends
Interest rates
Wages, employment, GDP
Long-term time series
Use when you are asking:
How have mortgage rates changed?
How does wage growth compare to inflation?
What trends matter over multiple years?
Search tips:
“CPI,” “30-year mortgage rate,” “median wage,” “real income”
Best for:
Median wages
Wage growth by occupation
Employment and unemployment rates
Use when you are asking:
Are wages keeping up with prices?
Which workers are most affected by rising costs?
Best for:
Household income
Poverty rates
Demographic breakdowns
Use when you are asking:
How income differs by region or group
Which households are most vulnerable to cost increases
Search tips:
“American Community Survey,” “median household income”
Best for:
Rent trends
Home values
Metro- and city-level housing data
Use when you are asking:
How housing costs differ by neighborhood or city
How fast rents are rising locally
Best for:
Home prices
Inventory levels
Days on market
Use when you are asking:
Is housing supply tight or expanding?
How competitive is the housing market?
Best for:
Median rent
Homeownership rates
Housing costs by region
Use when you are asking:
How much do people pay for housing?
How has rent changed over time?
Best for:
Federal funds rate
Monetary policy explanations
Interest-rate decisions
Use when you are asking:
Why interest rates changed
How the Fed is responding to inflation or unemployment
Best for:
30-year fixed mortgage rates
Auto loan rates
Credit conditions
Use when you are asking:
How borrowing costs affect affordability
How interest rates shape housing demand
These help with explanation and background, but should not replace raw data.
Cost of Living Calculator | City and Salary Comparison Tool - NerdWallet
Race, Economics, and Social Status : Spotlight on Statistics
Rent, House Prices, and Demographics | U.S. Department of the Treasury
The American Middle Class - Key Facts, Data and Trends Since 1970 | Pew Research Center
Income, Wealth & Poverty - Research and data from Pew Research Center
Brookings Institution
Useful for housing, inequality, and regional analysis.
Best for:
Food-at-home prices
Energy prices
Transportation costs
Use when you are asking:
Why groceries or gas feel more expensive
Which everyday costs rose fastest
Best for:
Local housing plans
Zoning rules
Cost-of-living reports
Use when you are asking:
What makes your city different from the national average
How local policy shapes housing supply or costs
Search tips:
“[City name] housing data,” “[State] cost of living”
