Agreed. Though I think that the 'struggling' part creates a lag in both aspects. I think the 'gotta have a side-hustle' trend is a strong indicator of this. I would be interested in seeing the trends in number of people working 2+ jobs (or income streams), population shifts to more affordable areas, and number of disconnects of non-essential services. From experience growing up in a poor family, I know the definition of 'non-essential' can expand greatly as desperation grows.

Edit: Tracking real numbers in homelessness is also just extremely difficult.

if everything is so bad then it should be easier to find someone willing to work. But that's not the case today. Which means life today is probably not that bad.

And remote work is more common than ever. Regardless, Columbus, Ohio has a very reasonable cost of living for the salaries available in the region.

Ghost town?

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/newsroom/news/intel-...

Well, people are working everyday in Columbus OH.

It's easier than ever to be homeless and it's generally frowned upon to forcefully institutionalize the mentally ill these days.