An Idaho worker earning the minimum wage would need to work 73 hours per week in order to afford a modest two-bedroom rental according to a report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Idaho’s minimum wage of $7.25 an hour hasn’t changed since 2009, even as neighboring states in the West continue to raise their minimums. Data released this week from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show 7.1 percent, or 29,000 hourly workers, earned Idaho’s minimum wage or less in 2013. The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s study of what it takes to pay for housing puts into perspective how difficult it is for low wage earners to afford rent/Emilie Ritter Saunders, Boise State Public Radio. More here.

Question: Who will raise the minimum wage first -- state of Idaho or the federal government?