“while Idaho boasts the lowest cost of living among the western states.”
And salaries tend to be WAY lower.
“And salaries tend to be WAY lower”
Wages are variable. What I’m concerned with is the viability of wage. If the price of a loaf of bread is high then the base salaries need to be compatable to handle the cost. And that includes the thought that not every job needs to be a liveable wage no matter what for a family of four.
The living wage in Idaho is $11.75 per hour, which is higher than the state minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. This means that workers in Idaho need to earn at least $11.75 per hour in order to cover their basic needs, such as food, housing, and transportation.
The average wage in Idaho is $21.72 per hour. However, wages vary widely across different industries and occupations in Idaho. For example, the average hourly wage for workers in food preparation and service is just $12.43 per hour, while the average hourly wage for workers in healthcare support occupations is $16.61 per hour.
Too much of the appearance to wages is expressed by the minimum since the above numbers indicate that the wage levels are above the standard of needs. And this is an average, not all encompassing. There are going to be lower and higher wages depending upon the employers needs. So some wages are not for the family of four. It is for the student wishing to earn pocket change for dates and sodas.
But therein lies the problem. As the job market shrinks in those actual liveable wages jobs due to many factors like the ability of people to do more complex and responsibility carrying positions along with just not showing up for work, more and more people who actually are trained and need that liveable wage for that family of four are stuck taking the minimum wage jobs. So the dollar income problem is being reshaped based upon availability when college trained are competing with dropouts. And while the college trained or experienced trained people are doing nothing preying on government programs, the employers learn to work without that position they can’t fill. It goes away or is modified to meet the needs.
But it all accounts for the wage level which at this point is above employee actual needs on the average. And part of that is that unprofessional jobs like washing dishes in a restaurant as compared to the supervisor at Microsoft are growing so the wage level is off the cuff applied at needs if the employee has done what is neccessary to fill the position. But the wage for the non-professional isn’t expected to meet the average and establishes the use of the minimum.
wy69