‘Difficult’ to be hopeful: How people survive under one of the worst inflation rates in the country

CNN Business

08/03

Seattle, WA — Britney Johnson has started setting her alarm for 3:50am. That’s the only way she’ll make it to the bus on time to commute to Seattle from her home in ...

网页链接

免責聲明：投資有風險，本文並非投資建議，以上內容不應被視為任何金融產品的購買或出售要約、建議或邀請，作者或其他用戶的任何相關討論、評論或帖子也不應被視為此類內容。本文僅供一般參考，不考慮您的個人投資目標、財務狀況或需求。TTM對信息的準確性和完整性不承擔任何責任或保證，投資者應自行研究並在投資前尋求專業建議。

熱議股票

{"basename":"/hant","ssrTDKData":{"titleTemplate":"%s - 老虎證券","title":"老虎证券全球投资理财平台| 一站式投资美股新股港股A股","description":"老虎证券助您一站式投资美股，新股，港股，A股等全球金融理财产品。新加坡华人最信赖的在线投资平台，现在加入即享低费用，24/5 无时差炒美股投资理财！","keywords":"老虎證券,老虎證券開戶,老虎券商,老虎證券官網,老虎證券app,tigertrade老虎證券,股票,炒股,新加坡股票交易平臺,投資,投資理財","social":{"ogDescription":"老虎证券助您一站式投资美股，新股，港股，A股等全球金融理财产品。新加坡华人最信赖的在线投资平台，现在加入即享低费用，24/5 无时差炒美股投资理财！","ogImage":"https://c1.itigergrowtha.com/portal5/static/media/og-logo.0a0bd8dc.png","ogUrl":"https://www.itiger.com/hant/news/2656200403"},"companyName":"老虎證券"},"pageData":{"isMobile":false,"isTiger":false,"isTTM":true,"region":"SGP","license":"TBSG","edition":"fundamental"},"isCrawlerRequest":true,"__swrFallback__":{"@#url:\"https://stock-news.skytigris.cn/v3/news\",params:#id:\"2656200403\",edition:\"fundamental\",auth_exemption:1,,,undefined,":{"share":"https://ttm.financial/m/news/2656200403?lang=zh_TW&edition=fundamental","thumbnail":"","is_english":true,"pubTime":"2026-08-03 18:00","share_image_url":"https://static.laohu8.com/e9f99090a1c2ed51c021029395664489","id":"2656200403","market":"hk","top_or_hot":-1,"title":"‘Difficult’ to be hopeful: How people survive under one of the worst inflation rates in the country","media":"CNN Business","content":"<div>\n<p>Seattle, WA — \n\n\n            Britney Johnson has started setting her alarm for 3:50am.\n    \n\n            That’s the only way she’ll make it to the bus on time to commute to Seattle from her home in ...</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/03/business/seattle-cost-of-living\">网页链接</a>\n\n</div>\n","source":"cnn_highlight","html":"<!DOCTYPE html>\n<html>\n<head>\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Type\" content=\"text/html; charset=utf-8\" />\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width,initial-scale=1.0,minimum-scale=1.0,maximum-scale=1.0,user-scalable=no\"/>\n<meta name=\"format-detection\" content=\"telephone=no,email=no,address=no\" />\n<title>‘Difficult’ to be hopeful: How people survive under one of the worst inflation rates in the country</title>\n<style type=\"text/css\">\na,abbr,acronym,address,applet,article,aside,audio,b,big,blockquote,body,canvas,caption,center,cite,code,dd,del,details,dfn,div,dl,dt,\nem,embed,fieldset,figcaption,figure,footer,form,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6,header,hgroup,html,i,iframe,img,ins,kbd,label,legend,li,mark,menu,nav,\nobject,ol,output,p,pre,q,ruby,s,samp,section,small,span,strike,strong,sub,summary,sup,table,tbody,td,tfoot,th,thead,time,tr,tt,u,ul,var,video{ font:inherit;margin:0;padding:0;vertical-align:baseline;border:0 }\nbody{ font-size:16px; line-height:1.5; color:#999; background:transparent; }\n.wrapper{ overflow:hidden;word-break:break-all;padding:10px; }\nh1,h2{ font-weight:normal; line-height:1.35; margin-bottom:.6em; }\nh3,h4,h5,h6{ line-height:1.35; margin-bottom:1em; }\nh1{ font-size:24px; }\nh2{ font-size:20px; }\nh3{ font-size:18px; }\nh4{ font-size:16px; }\nh5{ font-size:14px; }\nh6{ font-size:12px; }\np,ul,ol,blockquote,dl,table{ margin:1.2em 0; }\nul,ol{ margin-left:2em; }\nul{ list-style:disc; }\nol{ list-style:decimal; }\nli,li p{ margin:10px 0;}\nimg{ max-width:100%;display:block;margin:0 auto 1em; }\nblockquote{ color:#B5B2B1; border-left:3px solid #aaa; padding:1em; }\nstrong,b{font-weight:bold;}\nem,i{font-style:italic;}\ntable{ width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:1px;margin:1em 0;font-size:.9em; }\nth,td{ padding:5px;text-align:left;border:1px solid #aaa; }\nth{ font-weight:bold;background:#5d5d5d; }\n.symbol-link{font-weight:bold;}\n/* header{ border-bottom:1px solid #494756; } */\n.title{ margin:0 0 8px;line-height:1.3;color:#ddd; }\n.meta {color:#5e5c6d;font-size:13px;margin:0 0 .5em; }\na{text-decoration:none; color:#2a4b87;}\n.meta .head { display: inline-block; overflow: hidden}\n.head .h-thumb { width: 30px; height: 30px; margin: 0; padding: 0; border-radius: 50%; float: left;}\n.head .h-content { margin: 0; padding: 0 0 0 9px; float: left;}\n.head .h-name {font-size: 13px; color: #eee; margin: 0;}\n.head .h-time {font-size: 12.5px; color: #7E829C; margin: 0;}\n.small {font-size: 12.5px; display: inline-block; transform: scale(0.9); -webkit-transform: scale(0.9); transform-origin: left; -webkit-transform-origin: left;}\n.smaller {font-size: 12.5px; display: inline-block; transform: scale(0.8); -webkit-transform: scale(0.8); transform-origin: left; -webkit-transform-origin: left;}\n.bt-text {font-size: 12px;margin: 1.5em 0 0 0}\n.bt-text p {margin: 0}\n</style>\n</head>\n<body>\n<div class=\"wrapper\">\n<header>\n<h2 class=\"title\">\n‘Difficult’ to be hopeful: How people survive under one of the worst inflation rates in the country\n</h2>\n<h4 class=\"meta\">\n<p class=\"head\">\n<strong class=\"h-name small\">CNN Business</strong><span class=\"h-time small\">2026-08-03 18:00</span>\n</p>\n</h4>\n</header>\n<article>\n<div>\n<p>Seattle, WA — \n\n\n            Britney Johnson has started setting her alarm for 3:50am.\n    \n\n            That’s the only way she’ll make it to the bus on time to commute to Seattle from her home in ...</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/03/business/seattle-cost-of-living\">网页链接</a>\n\n</div>\n\n<div class=\"bt-text\">\n\n\n<p> 來源：<a href=\"https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/03/business/seattle-cost-of-living\">CNN Business</a></p>\n<p>為提升您的閱讀體驗，我們對本頁面進行了排版優化</p>\n\n\n</div>\n</article>\n</div>\n</body>\n</html>\n","isBrief":false,"type":0,"news_type":1,"symbol":"LCO","symbol_name":"LOGIQ Contrarian Opportunities ETF","start_time":0,"source_url":"https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/03/business/seattle-cost-of-living","article_id":"2656200403","we_media_id":null,"thumbnails":[],"rights":{"source":"cnn_highlight","url":"https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/03/business/seattle-cost-of-living","rn_cache_url":null,"directOrigin":true},"url":"https://stock-news.laohu8.com/highlight/detail?id=2656200403","pubTimestamp":1785751225,"columns":[],"sourceInfo":{"source_id":"cnn_highlight","name":"CNN Business"},"weMediaInfo":null,"summary":"Britney Johnson has started setting her alarm for 3:50am.That’s the only way she’ll make it to the bus on time to commute to Seattle from her home in Tacoma – a 74-mile roundtrip.Johnson used to drive to work as a line cook at Meta’s Seattle offices. But then gas prices started to creep up in the spring, topping out at $5.89 per gallon.she said, 「I’m getting up earlier.」Johnson isn’t the only one making sacrifices to make ends meet. Inflation is still hurting many working families nationwide, but in metro areas like Seattle, the pain is even more acute.The inflation rate in the Emerald City is one of the highest in the country – 4.5% in June, a whole percentage point higher than the national rate and second only to Philadelphia.A driver refuels a vehicle with regular gasoline at a Chevron gas station in Seattle, Washington, on April 30, 2026.「After decades of relatively low utility rates supported by our inexpensive hydropower system and relatively mild climate, both the climate and ra","collect":0,"end_time":0,"defaultTopTitle":"cnn.com","property":[],"viewcount":null,"language":"en","relate_stocks":{"LCO":"LOGIQ Contrarian Opportunities ETF","PLGI":"PL Growth and Income ETF","MAPP":"Harbor Multi Asset Explorers ETF","RHTX":"RH TACTICAL OUTLOOK ETF","REGL":"ProShares S&P MidCap 400 Dividend Aristocrats ETF","CGUI":"Capital Group Ultra Short Income ETF","MDLV":"MORGAN DEMPSEY LARGE CAP VALUE ETF","RMIF":"LHA Risk-Managed Income ETF","CGUS":"Capital Group Core Equity ETF","ADPV":"ADAPTIV SELECT ETF","KLCD":"KFA Large Cap Quality Dividend Index ETF","ILCV":"iShares Morningstar Value ETF","CDC":"VictoryShares US EQ Income Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF","SDOG":"ALPS Sector Dividend Dogs ETF","PRVS":"Parnassus Value Select ETF","CGDV":"Capital Group Dividend Value ETF","DIVZ":"TrueShares Low Volatility Equity Income ETF","TCTL":"Premise Capital Diversified Tactical ETF","LGH":"HCM Defender 500 Index ETF","CGVV":"Capital Group U.S. Large Value ETF","SAMT":"Strategas Macro Thematic Opportunities ETF","HIDV":"AB US HIGH DIVIDEND ETF","FLV":"American Century Focused Large Cap Value ETF","RULE":"Adaptive Core ETF","VOTE":"TCW Transform 500 ETF","ARP":"PMV ADAPTIVE RISK PARITY ETF","VTV":"Vanguard Value ETF","BAMA":"Brookstone Active ETF","IMCG":"iShares Morningstar Mid-Cap Growth ETF","DECU":"AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer15 Uncapped Dec ETF","REMC":"COLUMBIA RESEARCH ENHANCED MID CAP ETF","DHLX":"Diamond Hill Large Cap Concentrated ETF","AGGZ":"Twin Oak Enhanced Fixed Income ETF","SPCT":"Liberty One Spectrum ETF","LCG":"Sterling Capital Focus Equity ETF","CLIX":"ProShares Long Online/Short Stores ETF","FT":"富兰克林通用信托","XOEX":"Xtrackers S&P 100 Ex Top 20 ETF","EES":"WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Fund","DFUV":"DIMENSIONAL US MARKETWIDE VALUE ETF","EQRR":"ProShares Equities for Rising Rates ETF","NSIV":"North Square Disciplined Value ETF","IUS":"Invesco RAFI Strategic US ETF","ESLV":"Eventide Large Cap Value ETF","BSR":"Beacon Unified Catalyst ETF","FITZ":"Fitz-Gerald Must Have Portfolio ETF","PMDE":"PGIM S&P 500 Max Buffer ETF - December","MODL":"VictoryShares WestEnd US Sector ETF","PSC":"Principal U.S. Small-Cap Multi-Factor ETF","TEQI":"T. Rowe Price Equity Income ETF"},"translate_title":"“很难 ”抱有希望： 人们如何在全国最严重的通货膨胀率下生存","themeId":null,"isJumpTheme":false,"ttsUrl":null,"symbols_score_info":{"DFUV":1.5,"AGGZ":1.5,"SAMT":1.5,"IUS":1.5,"LCO":1.5,"FITZ":1.5,"DECU":1.5,"BAMA":1.5,"MDLV":1.5,"VTV":1.5,"ILCV":1.5,"REMC":1.5,"SPCT":1.5,"CGDV":1.5,"PSC":1.5,"ADPV":1.5,"CDC":1.5,"CGUI":1.5,"LGH":1.5,"RMIF":1.5,"NSIV":1.5,"HIDV":1.5,"FT":1.5,"SDOG":1.5,"XOEX":1.5,"PMDE":1.5,"DHLX":1.5,"FLV":1.5,"ESLV":1.5,"RHTX":1.5,"EES":1.5,"LCG":1.5,"REGL":1.5,"MODL":1.5,"TCTL":1.5,"CLIX":1.5,"TEQI":1.5,"VOTE":1.5,"PLGI":1.5,"RULE":1.5,"IMCG":1.5,"ARP":1.5,"CGVV":1.5,"EQRR":1.5,"MAPP":1.5,"DIVZ":1.5,"CGUS":1.5,"BSR":1.5,"KLCD":1.5,"PRVS":1.5},"content_text":"Seattle, WA — \n\n\n            Britney Johnson has started setting her alarm for 3:50am.\n    \n\n            That’s the only way she’ll make it to the bus on time to commute to Seattle from her home in Tacoma – a 74-mile roundtrip.\n    \n\n            Johnson used to drive to work as a line cook at Meta’s Seattle offices. But then gas prices started to creep up in the spring, topping out at $5.89 per gallon.\n    \n\n            「And I was like, oh my gosh!」 she said, 「I’m getting up earlier.」\n    \n\n            Johnson isn’t the only one making sacrifices to make ends meet. Inflation is still hurting many working families nationwide, but in metro areas like Seattle, the pain is even more acute.\n    \n\n            The inflation rate in the Emerald City is one of the highest in the country – 4.5% in June, a whole percentage point higher than the national rate and second only to Philadelphia.\n    \n\n            The cost of living in the US has risen for years, mainly driven by food and energy. But the culprit behind Seattle’s sharp increase is energy – both gasoline and for the home.\n    \n\n            「That to me, is the whole enchilada, not to minimize the other stuff, like food,」 said Victor Menaldo, University of Washington professor of political science and expert on political economy. 「We’re very much into regulating energy in this state, whether for good or ill – I’m not here to comment on that – but… we’re starting from a higher base.」\n    \n\n            Washington state’s cap-and-invest program, for example, has limited carbon emissions but also been blamed for higher prices. A gallon of regular gas around Seattle currently costs about $5.30 on average, more than a dollar above the national average.\n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA driver refuels a vehicle with regular gasoline at a Chevron gas station in Seattle, Washington, on April 30, 2026.\n\nDavid Ryder/Bloomberg/Getty Images\n\n\n\n\n\n        A recipe for hard times\n\n\n            Johnson makes more than $30 an hour, which in many parts of the country, is a decent wage.\n    \n\n            But money is tight. Her utilities alone are about $200 per month on top of the $1,700 she pays in rent for the one-bedroom apartment she shares with her partner.\n    \n\n            Utility costs are climbing nationwide as demand surges to feed energy-hungry data centers, and climate change spurs costly upgrades. The average rate for US residential electricity is up more than 6% over the past year, according to the EIA.\n    \n\n            In Seattle, electric bills for many residents have increased 48.5% since 2024, well above the national average, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) told CNN. Puget Sound Energy, a major provider, has requested additional rate increases for 2027 and 2029.\n    \n\n            「After decades of relatively low utility rates supported by our inexpensive hydropower system and relatively mild climate, both the climate and rates are changing,」 a UTC spokesperson said.\n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBritney Johnson\n\nCourtesy Britney Johnson\n\n\n\n\n\n            So when gas prices spiked after the war in Iran began, Johnson not only changed her commute but considered a second job or seeking out a roommate for her and her partner.\n    \n\n            The couple also no longer go out to eat, stopped planning trips and are limiting how much fresh produce they buy.\n    \n\n            「It makes it difficult to see a horizon where we can continue and be hopeful,」 she said. 「Because right now, it’s a thing where money is all that we can think about.」\n    \n\n            Even so, Johnson still takes pride in serving different exotic cuisines to tech workers, who sometimes take pictures and post her food on social media – a high compliment, she says.\n    \n\n            But the dichotomy of experiences in one cafeteria is not lost on her. Johnson thinks the people she cooks for largely don’t have to make the same tough choices.\n    \n\n        So many Jell-O shots\n\n\n            Chris Elford, who owns a brewery and a cocktail bar downtown, has a lot of regulars who work at Seattle tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft. He said even tech workers aren’t impervious to the city’s rising cost of living.\n    \n\n            「For the first time in the almost 13 years that I’ve lived in Seattle, I am noticing a culture shift in the tech people …that they, for the first time, are also feeling vulnerable,」 he said. 「And it’s not because they don’t have money, like expendable income. It’s because their jobs are no longer secure.」\n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Spheres at Amazon headquarters in Seattle, Washington on January 29, 2026.\n\nJason Redmond/AFP/Getty Images\n\n\n\n\n\n            In 2024, about 205,000 people in the Seattle area held 「computer and mathematical occupations,」 according to the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 11,000 fewer than the year before. Only California outpaced Washington for tech layoffs.\n    \n\n            Elford said he can tell consumers are craving deals just by looking at how the Monday crowd at his brewery, Here Today, has grown 20% compared to last summer. Word has gotten out about Monday’s $8 smashburger deal (usually priced at $16).\n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nChris Elford\n\nSarah Cass\n\n\n\n\n\n            Then there’s the Jell-O shots.\n    \n\n            「I did not see myself at 43 selling the amount of Jell-O shots that I sell,」 Elford said.\n    \n\n            He believes skyrocketing Jell-O shot sales are because people are looking for something fun and nostalgic, but also affordable. At $4 each, it’s easy to buy a round for friends.\n    \n\n            It’s not just his customers. Like all restaurants and bar owners, Elford is also dealing with rising costs. He employs fewer people, and they don’t go out after work as much.\n    \n\n            He’s also absorbed the more than 11% rise in beef prices over past year but may have to raise menu prices soon. And costlier citrus fruits mean certain drinks at his cocktail bar, Navy Strength, are now made with a shelf-stable 「super juice」 concoction instead of fresh-squeezed limes.\n    \n\n        People ‘in the middle’\n\n\n            While many are flocking to take advantage of an $8 burger, Alicia Roten’s family is simply trying not to eat out at all. The cost of daily life in Lake Stevens, Washington – fuel, groceries, medications and children’s formula – has added up.\n    \n\n            Roten’s oldest son has autism and Down syndrome. He’s had 16 procedures in 4 years, so he requires specific medicines and trips to Seattle Children’s Hospital for regular treatment.\n    \n\n            The 70-mile roundtrip to the hospital now costs more due to higher gas prices. The price of benefit plans for Medicaid and Medicare have also gone up substantially.\n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAlicia Roten with her son at Seattle Children’s Hospital in 2025.\n\nCourtesy Alicia Roten\n\n\n\n\n\n            「You notice that every little bill goes up just 5% or 10%, and all of a sudden it adds up to just being more than you make,」 she said.\n    \n\n            Roten’s husband works as a general contractor. She, like her sister and her mother, works in the grocery business.\n    \n\n            But things have changed. Her parents were able to buy a nice home in the Seattle area for $300,000 and still afford different extracurricular activities for her and her siblings.\n    \n\n            Meanwhile, Roten and her husband are stretched thin, putting renovations of what was supposed to be a starter home on hold.\n    \n\n            「How could we have gone from that to this in one single generation? We’re not high class, we’re not low class, but there’s so much of us in the middle that are just wondering where we fit into this equation,」 she said.","kind":"highlight","is_publish_news":true,"is_publish_highlight":false,"is_publish_live":false,"is_publish_wemedia":false,"editions":null,"column":"","sentiment":"-1","news_tag":"","news_rank":0,"isVideo":false,"video":null,"symbols":[],"gpt_button":0,"need_auth":false,"need_login_tip":false,"code":"91000000","status":"200"}}}