Morgantown’s cost of living for professional and executive households is on par with other urban areas in the United States according to a new study issued in the Morgantown MSA Monitor, a quarterly publication of the WVU College of Business and Economics Bureau of Business and Economic Research.

The publication is sponsored by Clear Mountain Bank.

The driving forces in Morgantown’s index were housing, utility and health care costs, all of which were from 3.1 percent to 12.8 percent above the national average,said Amy Higginbotham, BBER economist and manager of the Morgantown ACCRA (a national economic development research organization) survey.Based upon these numbers, it appears that the cost of living for these individuals is about 1.1 percent above the national average, making Morgantown a slightly more expensive place to live, than other areas such as Charleston , Pittsburgh , Pa. , and Martinsburg.

This survey will be conducted every quarter with the results being distributed through the Morgantown MSA Monitor,said Dr. Tom S. Witt, BBER director.This data will be helpful in comparing the cost of living here relative to the other cities in the survey. Local companies may want to use this information to establish their compensation and relocation assistance for professionals and executives relating to Morgantown .

This is the first time a cost-of-living index has been compiled for Morgantown . The city’s cost of living is being estimated on a quarterly basis by BBER research personnel using a national methodology developed by ACCRA .

BBER personnel canvassed Morgantown area businesses to collect prices on approximately 60 goods and services and submitted these to ACCRA for tabulation. Surveys were done in 298 other cities, and the goods and services priced were typical of those purchased by professional and executive households in the top 20 percent of the income distribution.

Details regarding the survey results can be found in the March 2006 issue of the Morgantown MSA Monitor, a quarterly publication of the WVU BBER with underwriting support provided in part by Clear Mountain Bank. Copies of the publication can be found atwww.bber.wvu.eduandwww.clearmountainbank.com. Information about the ACCRA cost of living can be found atwww.coli.org.