Idaho ranks last in worker wages | Business

Despite Idaho's reputation as a business-friendly state, it turns out it may not be as fortuitous a region for workers.

The Idaho Department of Labor said Thursday that the state ranks 50th in the U.S. in overall earnings by full- and part-time workers with a median wage at $23,192., the Associated Press reported.

Spokesman Bob Fick said the reason for the low average can be attributed to losses in production-sector jobs.

"You look at manufacturing in general in Idaho, and the only thing that's really held its own is food processing," Fick said. "It'll be another 20 years before we get back to where we were before the recession as far as construction goes."

Fick said that as a result more people in Idaho work more than one job than in most other states.

“That's another tough situation when you have these low-wage jobs and the economy is evolving away from the higher wages to the lower wages,” he said.