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ASHEVILLE - The city and its metro region have the highest cost of living in the state — but income well below the national average, a combination that is squeezing local residents and that now could grow worse, according to experts and activists.
A recent analysis of economic data by the Citizen Times showed how the four-county Asheville metropolitan area became the most expensive place in North Carolina. Meanwhile, per capita income is only 84% of the national average.
An expanded analysis now shows how that price and income gap have persisted for 30 years and could soon grow to one of its worst levels, depending on wages, general inflation and specifically housing prices, according to local and national experts.