COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, the median household in Idaho grew from $61,061 in 2013-2017 to $70,214 in 2018-2022. The 15% increase is the largest in the nation, and the $9,153 increase ranks fifth.
Interestingly, Idaho is the only state in the top five of both lists to make zero changes to their minimum wage over the timeframe, remaining at the nationwide minimum of $7.25 an hour.
“Idaho’s jump in median household income between the two five-year periods can be partially attributed to the state’s rapid population growth during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the Idaho Department of Labor said in a statement.
While the wage increases are beneficial to employees, the dramatic rise can be a symptom of a labor shortage in several areas.
“The need for entry-level service workers exceeded the supply of willing employees, boosting wages in sectors like health care and social assistance, accommodations and food service, and education,” the Idaho Department of Labor said.
The shortages present a new challenge for small businesses, like Crickets Restaurant and Oyster Bar in Coeur d’Alene.
“I can’t get the support staff anymore,” owner Rico Ciccone said. “I can’t get dishwashers, high school kids. No one will work for under $16 an hour.”
Ciccone says he loses out to some of the larger businesses.
“The payroll has gone up with less people,” he said. “The bottom line is, I can’t get anybody to stick around for more than a couple weeks if they’re not at $16 or more because they’re just gonna give up and – they’re giving the McDonald’s/Taco Bell excuse. ‘Well I can go work at Taco Bell.’”
