2011 Cost of Living Increase for NYC

February 25, 2011 10:20 AM

I am meeting with my boss for my annual review. I have not have a raise almost since I started four years ago. Is there an easy way to determine the NYC cost of living increase for 2011? I've tried to use teh google but no luck. Thanks.
posted by captainscared to Work & Money (8 answers total)

I've worked for several companies for multiple years each, both in NYC and in FL, and the standard "cost of living raise" was about 4%, regardless of geographic location. I have, however, recently heard from colleagues who are being "forced" to take no raise or 2% raises per the economy. Of course, the standard percentage raise is heavily influenced by performance and the company's view of you professionally, so if you have a very positive review, feel absolutely free to work that into any negotiations you choose to get into.
posted by Debaser626 at 10:28 AM on February 25, 2011

I would think it's probably easier to just use the consumer price index. Do you know how to read and use such charts?
posted by jon1270 at 10:28 AM on February 25, 2011

Take a look at the OPM's locality pay page. It's what the federal government uses to determine cost of living differences between areas.
posted by stratastar at 10:40 AM on February 25, 2011

My work give us a raise of whatever the cost of living increase is each year. For 2011, they calculated a COLA of 2.23% for NYC based staff. I'm not certain what it's based on, but I do know that it's northeast urban inflation vs. national inflation.
posted by kimdog at 10:43 AM on February 25, 2011

Sorry... not "vs.", rather that should be "instead of".
posted by kimdog at 10:45 AM on February 25, 2011

Depending on where you work, focusing on "cost of living" may not get you an adjustment in compensation. Management sometimes sees talk of COL increases as a red flag for "employee who thinks he or she is owed something." Consider talking about your contributions to the workplace, your successful projects, any successes that have had a positive financial impact, and any skills you've improved.
posted by aught at 11:13 AM on February 25, 2011 [1 favorite]

Just coming in to say what aught said. We give a small yearly increase to the people just kind of doing their job. Raises of significance go to people who are standing out. Tell your boss how you've stood out if they're not paying attention.
posted by Wolfie at 11:24 AM on February 25, 2011

I used cost of living as part of an argument for why I deserved a raise at my last firm - however, it was only part of the argument. I showed that (a) I had been successful in high-profile roles in the organization, which I was able to list and quantify (as Wolfie notes, your boss isn't always paying attention); (b) I was getting paid under the market rate for people in my field; and (c) because I hadn't had a raise in three years, it was as if I had taken a pay cut over that time. C was definitely the least effective part of the argument, though having been where you are, I understand that sometimes it's worth saying just to underline the point.

I got a raise, though a smaller one than I had asked for. And then I left for a job where I felt a lot more valued. Depending on what you do, the job market in NYC sucks less than in most of the rest of the country - consider your options.
posted by mishaps at 1:28 PM on February 25, 2011 [1 favorite]