Under the hood
How your number is built
Three signals, one index. Here's the math behind Real Footing — and what each piece is actually telling you.
Profile:
Component 1 of 3 · Real wage
Wage trend minus local inflation
Wage trend +4.3%
−Local CPI 3.1%
=Real wage +1.2%
What 'real wage' means here
Registered Nurse — Wage Trend+4.3% YoYMedian annual wage: $74,800Sample · BLS OES — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Des Moines Metro — Local CPI+3.1% YoYYear-over-year local price level changeSample · BLS Regional CPI
Component 2 of 3 · Your cost of living
Why national CPI isn't your cost of living
The national CPI averages hundreds of cities
Local CPI · Des Moines3.1%0.3pp below the national rate — prices here are rising more slowlySample · BLS Regional CPI
What this means for you
Des Moines prices are rising 0.3 percentage points more slowly than the national average. That gap works in your favor — your real purchasing power is slightly better than the national headline would suggest.
Component 3 of 3 · Job market
Local unemployment — your wage leverage signal
Why unemployment affects your wages
Local Unemployment · Des Moines2.9%Very tight — fewer people competing for each openingSample · BLS LAUS — Local Area Unemployment Statistics
National Unemployment (CPS)3.7%U.S. headline rate (seasonally adjusted)Sample · BLS Current Population Survey
The full picture
Real Footing = (wage trend − local CPI) shaped by local unemployment. A tight labor market amplifies wage growth; a soft one dampens it. The index combines all three signals into one number so you don't have to track each separately.