by Paul Davidson
USA Today
The nation’s regional inflation rankings have turned upside down.
For years, inflation has been higher in the South and West because Americans flocked to those areas for their temperate climates and lower costs, driving strong consumer demand and higher prices.
That trend was amplified by the pandemic. As remote work spread, many people streamed out of densely populated Northeastern and Midwestern cities like New York and Chicago for less costly areas with lots of open spaces, like Tennessee’s Nashville and Idaho’s Boise.
But the pecking order has reshuffled.