Economy

As it is in many U.S. states, income in Idaho is on an upward trend. Idaho lost ground in per capita personal income from 2009-2011 as it recovered from the Great Recession. But what’s also growing is the gap between personal income in Idaho and in the national as a whole.Data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis show Idahoans earned less in 2012 than residents of almost every other state in the country.A closer look at hourly wages reveals half of Idaho’s workforce earned $14.58 an hour or less in 2012. The hourly wage in Idaho, on average, is $18.48.Idaho also had a larger share of hourly workers earning minimum wage in 2012 than ever before. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates 31,000 Idahoans made $7.25 an hour or less in 2012. That’s a 63 percent increase from 2011.

Idahoans Spend More Of Their Income On Basics Than People In Most States

Boise State Public Radio News | By Associated Press

Published August 8, 2014 at 10:56 AM MDT

Idaho residents have among the lowest personal incomes in the nation but spend a higher percentage of their money on basic essentials compared to most others, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Idaho's per-capita consumer spending was $30,190 — just a few dollars higher than the per-capita spending in Utah and Hawaii. Nevada, Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi all came in lower.

But Idahoans had to spend a much larger percentage of their income than most — just over 43 percent — to cover the basic essentials of food, housing, health care and gasoline or other energy goods. Only Mississippi residents spent a higher portion of their income on those categories, with almost half of their income going to essentials. The national average was about 37.5 percent.

Idahoans Spend More Of Their Income On Basics Than People In Most States

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