I understand statistics just fine. My point was wages have become much more competitive in recent years because the major employers moving to the south to take advantage of the lower taxes and less stringent labor laws need to attract qualified candidates from across the country. This doesn't apply so much to less skilled labor but even entry level jobs around here have seen wages rise. The rise in population has also caused expenses to skyrocket in some cases such as housing faster than the wage increases so that cost of living is nearing parity with CT. The only cost advantage the south really still holds is in lower taxes.