“The overall cost of living right now in Idaho is above the national average. Whereas the median cost of owning a home is $219,700. In Idaho it’s $247,600 to own a home.”

According to Best Places the median cost of a home in Stites, Idaho is $101,800 and the median income is $24,375. $15 per hour equates to an annual income of $31,200 assuming 2080 hours in a year. This illustrates the fallacy of justifying the minimum wage based on the median cost in the state. I totally agree that individuals making only $7.25 per hour can’t afford to live in a high cost area such as Coeur d’Alene where the median home cost is $304,200. However, the solution is not to raise the minimum wage for the state and penalize businesses in low cost areas. The solution is for high cost areas to establish a compatible wage.