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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

E. Idaho unaffordable on minimum wage, study says

Associated Press The Spokesman-Review

IDAHO FALLS – Minimum wage earners in eastern Idaho can’t make enough in a 40-hour work week to afford housing, according a study released by a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit.

The study, released by the National Low Income Housing Coalition last week, looked at whether workers paid more than 30 percent of their total income for housing – the threshold for what’s considered affordable.

In Bonneville County, someone making minimum wage must work 85 hours a week to afford a two-bedroom apartment. In Bingham County a worker must put in a 60-hour week, mirroring trends across the country.

“There is not a county in the country where a full-time minimum wage worker can afford even a one-bedroom apartment,” the study said.

A study by the Department of Commerce and Labor this summer found that more than 85 percent of Idaho jobs pay more than $7.25 an hour – $2.10 more than the minimum wage of $5.15.

But eastern Idaho has the highest percentage of low-wage jobs in the state, the department found, with more than 7.5 percent of all jobs in the region paying less than $6.15 an hour.

And only those with a terminal illness can expect public housing assistance in the eastern part of the state, said Lisa Stevens, senior manager of rental assistance for the Idaho Housing and Finance Association.

Congress last raised the minimum wage, which is $5.15 an hour, in 1997. It debated this year raising it to $7.25 an hour but did not pass the bill.

Since 1997, 20 states have raised their minimum wages, although Idaho has not.

A bill that would have increased the minimum wage in Idaho to $6.15 an hour was killed in a House Committee during the 2006 legislative Session by lawmakers who believed it could lead to higher prices and more unemployment.

House Minority Leader Wendy Jaquet, D-Ketchum, said she plans to make another attempt during the coming session.

“But we can’t depend on Congress to do anything,” Jaquet said.