Finally something we're world-class at

The Greater Boston Housing Report Card 2004 (just out, in PDF):

... Led by its high cost of housing, the Boston metropolitan area had by 2004 the highest cost of living of any metro region in the entire nation, outpacing San Francisco, New York, and Washington, D.C., not to mention Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, Chicago, Austin, and Miami where living costs were only two-thirds as high. It is not surprising, therefore, that Massachusetts was the only state in the nation to lose population in 2004. Of particular concern was the loss of young people. Between 2001 and 2003, the number of 20–24 year olds declined by 11.5 percent while the number of 25–34 year olds fell by 7.2 percent. By contrast, the number of 20–24 year olds nationally grew by 5.6 percent while 25–34 year olds increased by 0.7 percent during the same period. ...