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The share of Idaho workers earning minimum wage has grown from 5 percent in 2011 to 7.7 percent in 2012. The growth has put Idaho in the top spot for the largest share of minimum wage workers in the country. How did that happen? And what’s being done to reverse the trend?

Idaho Women, Individuals Have Lowest Median Incomes In The Country

Census data released by the government this week show individuals and women in Idaho have the lowest median incomes in the country, while household and family median incomes are in the bottom third among states.

The data release is part of the U.S. Census Bureau's 2013 American Community Survey.

Idaho's median household income in 2013 was $46,783, meaning half the residents here earned more and half earned less.

This interactive map is shaded based on median household income.

Data: U.S. Census Bureau, Idaho Department of Labor | Map: Emilie Ritter Saunders

Despite the low rankings, the Idaho Department of Labor notes household and family incomes have risen faster than the national average. Still, Idaho's median household income ranked 39th among states in 2013, dropping two spots below its 2012 ranking.

Idaho's median household income rose 2.8 percent to $46,783, family income rose 3.1 percent to $56,176, individual income rose 4.1 percent to $27,932, income for men increased 3.8 percent to $33,623, and income for women increased 2.9 percent to $21,908.

"Nationally, median income rose 1.7 percent for households and 2.8 percent for families," a Labor Department spokesman writes in a press release. "Individual earnings were essentially unchanged from 2012 to 2013 while median earnings for men rose 1.4 percent and for women 1 percent."

Find Emilie Ritter Saunders on Twitter @emiliersaunders

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