Burden
Measures current essential-cost load in each geography.
Methodology
Cost Pressure Score Framework
CostPressureIQ models pressure as burden plus change minus offset. The overall score is reported on a 0-100 scale where higher is better (less pressure), while component pressure scores are 0-100 where higher is worse.
Score Construction
How The Index Is Built
Change
Measures year-over-year acceleration or easing of pressure signals.
Offset
Measures income growth that can absorb essential-cost increases.
PressureComponent Contract v1
Stable IDs Used Across Every Geography
insurance_pressure
Insurance Pressure
Owner-cost burden proxy and year-over-year movement.
tax_pressure
Tax Pressure
Median real estate taxes and year-over-year movement.
utility_pressure
Utility Pressure
Median gross rent proxy and year-over-year movement.
essential_inflation_pressure
Essential Inflation Pressure
Essential burden proxy (gross-rent-to-income ratio) and movement.
income_offset
Income Offset
Median household income level and growth as a pressure offset.
Interpretation
Reading Scores and Trends
Overall Cost Pressure Score
0-100 where 100 is best (lowest net pressure).
Pressure Component Score
0-100 where 100 is worst (highest pressure).
Trend Direction
INCREASING, STABLE, DECREASING, or INSUFFICIENT_DATA.
Percentiles
National percentile compares across the same geography level.
Next Step
Apply Methodology To Real Geographies
After reviewing the framework, move through state, county, and city directories to compare how the same scoring contract behaves across different geographic scales.