Our Mission
WalletLoom exists to make real economic data accessible to everyone. Whether you're considering a move, negotiating a salary, or simply trying to understand how your cost of living compares to other parts of the country, we provide the data you need to make informed decisions.
Our Data
Every number on WalletLoom comes from official US government sources:
- US Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) — 5-Year Estimates for income, housing costs, rent, home values, population, and employment data.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) — Consumer Price Index data for regional price tracking.
We don't estimate, extrapolate, or generate synthetic data. If a number appears on our site, it came from a government dataset, and we link to the source so you can verify it yourself.
Why Government Data?
Many cost-of-living comparison sites use proprietary indices or user-submitted data that can be unreliable or biased. Government data from the Census Bureau and BLS is:
- Collected using rigorous statistical methodology
- Publicly available and independently verifiable
- Updated on a regular schedule
- Free from commercial bias
Limitations
No dataset is perfect. Census ACS data is based on surveys with margins of error, and 5-year estimates smooth over short-term fluctuations. Data for smaller cities may have larger margins of error. We present data as-is from government sources and encourage users to verify figures for critical decisions.
Contact
Questions, corrections, or suggestions? Reach us at [email protected].