When it Comes to Earning a Living, Idaho is Meh
The financial results are in for 2017 and when it comes to earning a living, Idaho is not very exciting at all.
This is a somewhat prestigious list. It's done annually by Money Rates. They use a number of metrics that focus on obvious stuff like cost of living, but also incorporate state taxes, median income rates and unemployment. I must admit that I did not know that a median had income. Who knew!
There were a couple of troubling results from the new 2017 Best States to Make a Living list. First, Idaho is a very boring #24. Yawn. We're not the best. We're not the worst. We're just there.
The other problem I have with this list is Washington state is #1. I know what I'm supposed to be happy for my neighbor, but how irritating is it that Washington state has no taxes on wages? They should be made to suffer like the rest of us.
The cost of living index for Idaho is 89.6. I have no idea what that means. I do understand that the median income of $32,800 is on the lower end of the list compared to other states. I also completely understand that the tax rate on income is higher than most. Workplace safety also isn't one of our specialties in Idaho. Arco, anyone?
To quote Jerry Maguire, show us Idaho people the money!