The Navigating Inflation series is a collaboration between the News Lab at Penn State and WPSU. Between October 2022 and March 2023, a team of journalists from the News Lab visited Tyrone in Blair County several times with the aim of listening to residents and workers talk about the impact of inflation on their businesses, households and day-to-day lives. Journalists Abigail Chachoute, Alicia Chiang, Makenzie Christman, Valeria Quinones and Lilly Riddle gathered these stories.

Tyrone, Pennsylvania—population 5,480—is located between Altoona and State College. It once had a Sears, an opera house and a thriving business district, but much of this waned with the highway’s diversion of traffic from Tyrone’s center. Tyrone is still home to a paper mill and candy factory, both of which have supported residents since the late 1800s.

In 2020, the average household income in Tyrone was $43,000, approximately 15% lower than the county average. With the price of goods increasing recently, less power for your money means every financial decision impacts the day-to-day for individuals, families, and businesses. The stories you find here—in writing, photo and audio—aim to explore the effects of inflation on not only Tyrone but many rural Pennsylvanians.

[For PMJA awards consideration, if more than one story is not allowed please judge the submission based on the first story.]