Growth, recession, the transition of Idaho’s economy, and the effects of change on Idahoans.
In less than a decade, Idaho will likely join the ranks of states with more than one area code. That’s right, Idaho’s 208 area code is quickly becoming an endangered species. This isn’t a new story. Back in 2007, the Idaho Public Utilities Commission said the state would run out of 208 phone numbers within [...]
Data released today from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis show personal income in Idaho hasn’t fully rebounded from the recession, though growth has been measured in the last two years. The personal income data from 2007 through 2011 offers a closer look at real-time incomes in relation to the state-specific cost of goods and [...]
After a month of larger-than-expected state tax collections, the revenue report for May shows collections came in just shy of the forecast. The Division of Financial Management released its monthly general fund status update Friday afternoon. It shows state tax collections were down 2.4 percent below expectations.
Idaho’s real gross domestic product inched up less than a percentage point from 2011 to 2012. New data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis show Idaho’s GDP grew four-tenths of a percent last year. Five states measured slower growth; Wyoming, New Mexico, South Dakota, Delaware, and Connecticut. Connecticut was the only U.S. [...]
New census numbers released this week reinforce something we’ve known for a while: Idaho continues to lose population in rural communities. In 1990, 59 percent of Idahoans lived in cities. Last year, that number was 69 percent. “A third of the city population gain in 2012 came in Ada County, where the suburban community of [...]
StateImpact Idaho picked up 12 local and regional journalism awards over the weekend. At the risk of being too boastful, we wanted to share these accolades with you. At the annual Idaho Press Club awards we took home six 1st place prizes, two 2nd place, and one 3rd place. Website, Special Purpose – Radio: 1st [...]
Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stayed at 6.1 percent in April as the state’s labor force continued to shrink. The Idaho Department of Labor reports 1,300 people left the workforce last month. That’s four straight months of labor force decline. Idaho’s workforce is now at its lowest level in two years. The Department says more [...]
StateImpact Idaho recently took a run at a big issue: the state’s low wages and its comparatively high fraction of workers who earn the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. The full series, called “Bottom Rung,” is available here. Many readers and listeners have weighed in, in some cases sending their own stories. For example, [...]
We know Idaho has the largest percentage of minimum wage workers in the country; 7.7 percent of Idaho’s hourly workforce earns $7.25 or less. The same data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics also show Idaho has more minimum-wage earners, in raw numbers, than 18 other states. Many of those states have fewer people living [...]
Idaho has the largest percentage of minimum wage jobs in the country. That’s been the jumping off point for StateImpact Idaho’s series examining wages; we’re calling it Bottom Rung. We know that an aging population has had an effect on the kinds of jobs available, that a shrinking construction sector has played a part, and [...]
StateImpact seeks to inform and engage local communities with broadcast and online news focused on how state government decisions affect your lives.
Learn More »