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