Idaho is a beautiful state, home to Rocky Mountain peaks and blissful trout fishing, awesome skiing, a celebrity film festival, and laid back cities like Boise and Ketchum. But when it comes to earning a living, minimum wage workers are some of the most poorly paid in the nation. Idaho's minimum wage is set at only $7.25 per hour, which is the lowest legally allowed by the federal government.
Here are three things to know about Idaho's minimum wage:
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1. Annual Income: If you work full time at the minimum wage rate in Idaho and don't take time off for vacation, you'll earn $15,080 per year. This breaks down to $290 per week or $58.00 per day and is less than $1,000 above the national poverty line for a two-person family, which is $14,570.
2. Same as Federal Minimum Wage: Minimum wage workers in Idaho earn the lowest amount legally allowed by the federal government, which is $7.25 per hour. Idaho is not in the minority when it comes to only matching the minimum wage set by the federal government; it is one of 14 states to do so. Additionally, there are another seven states with either no state minimum wage laws or minimum wages set below the federal mandate, which means employers are required to ignore the state rate and still pay $7.25 per hour.
3. Lower Than Other States: Still, many other states have raised their minimum wage recently to bring it more in line with a living wage. By comparison, in Washington, D.C., the minimum wage is set at $10.50 per hour, which is the highest in the country. And two-dozen other states have minimum wages above $7.25 per hour. Additionally, President Barack Obama has asked all states to consider raising their hourly minimum wage to $10.10 per hour, although only three states have done it so far.
Vote Now: How Do You Feel About the Minimum Wage?
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