Recent Cost of Living Index
and United States Census statistics shed some light on how Texarkana, Ark., and Texarkana, Texas, compare with each other and how the Texarkana area compares with other U.S. cities.
The Texarkana USA Chamber of Commerce recently released statistics highlighting how Texarkana, Texas—an approximate stand-in for the Texarkana metropolitan region as a whole—stacks up against the most and least expensive cities in the country. The numbers come from the Cost of Living Index (COLI) for the first quarter of 2018 calculated by the Council for Community and Economic Research.
With 100 representing the average of 263 urban areas’ COLI scores, Texarkana, Texas, comes in at 87.3, meaning the cost of living in the city is below the national average. The most expensive city among those rated was New York, which has a COLI of 245.4. The least expensive was Harlingen, Texas, with a COLI of 76.3.
The index measures differences in the cost of consumer goods and services. It is based on more than 90,000 prices covering 60 different items for which prices are collected quarterly.
When the price of food alone is considered, Texarkana, Texas, again has a below-average score, 94.7. The United States city with the most expensive food is Honolulu, Hawaii, with a score of 168. At the other end of the scale is Kalamazoo, Mich., with a score 0f 78.4.
As a measure of how affordable recreation is in various cities, the report compiled the prices of one-hour, drop-in yoga classes. Prices ranged from $5 in DublinLaurens County, Ga., and Salina, Kan., to $23.33 in Orange County, Calif. Texarkana, Texas, comes in at $12.50.
Census data and estimates show that Texarkana, Texas, is more populous than Texarkana, Ark., and its residents are generally younger and have higher incomes.
About 37,000 people live on the Texas side and 30,000 on the Arkansas side, which is reflected in the fact that the Texas side has about 3,000 more housing units. The median age of Texarkana, Ark., residents is 37.6, almost two years higher than that of Texarkana, Texas, residents, 35.7.
The Texas-side median household income is just over $39,000. On the Arkansas side, it is about $37,700. The Texas side also has a higher proportion of residents living below poverty level, 25.1 percent to the Arkansas side’s 22.7 percent. The percentage of people with at least a high school education is roughly equal in the two cities at about 85 percent.
Businesses seem to prefer Texarkana, Texas, to Texarkana, Ark. In a 2012 survey, there were about 1,000 more companies on the Texas side than on the Arkansas side, 3,467 to 2,413.
Texarkana, Ark., is home to a much lower number of people born outside the U.S., 400 to the Texas side’s 2,000-plus. The numbers of veterans in the two cities are more comparable, with about 2,300 on the Arkansas side and about 2,600 in Texarkana, Texas.
U.S. Census data from factfinder. census. gov
Population1
Texarkana, Ark.: 30,259 Texarkana, Texas: 37,333
Median Age2
Texarkana, Ark.: 37.6 Texarkana, Texas: 35.7
Number of Companies3 Texarkana, Ark.: 2,413 Texarkana, Texas: 3,467 Educational Attainment: Percent high school graduate or higher2 Texarkana, Ark.: 85.3 Texarkana, Texas: 86.4
Total Housing Units2 Texarkana, Ark.: 13,490 Texarkana, Texas: 16,537
Median Household Income2 Texarkana, Ark.: 37,659 Texarkana, Texas: 39,026
Foreign Born Population2 Texarkana, Ark.: 400 Texarkana, Texas: 2,092 Individuals Below Poverty Level2 Texarkana, Ark.: 22.7% Texarkana, Texas: 25.1% Veterans2
Texarkana, Ark.: 2,304 Texarkana, Texas: 2,595
1Annual Population Estimate as of July 1, 2017
22012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
32012 Survey of Business Owners