Idaho’s 2021 wages average $23.05 per hour

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - Idaho’s 2021 average wage for all occupations was $23.05 per hour, according to recently released data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program.

The release includes 2021 data on employment and wages by occupation for the state, seven Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and two rural county regions.

The $23.05 average hourly wage rate was an increase of $0.55 over 2020’s average of $22.50 per hour. The median wage, representing the midpoint between lowest and highest earners, also increased from $17.80 per hour in 2020 to $18.50 per hour in 2021.

Due to wage increases across areas and industries, there were fewer occupations being paid close to minimum wage. In 2021 there were 58,000 jobs earning $10 per hour or less, down from 81,000 jobs in 2020. The difference - 23,000 jobs - represents about 3% of the 757,000 jobs included in the OEWS data. There were about 7,000 fewer jobs earning less than $12 per hour in 2021 compared with 2020.

Average wages and staffing patterns vary across the state. Among Idaho’s six workforce development regions, the eastern region had the highest average wage for 2021 at $23.85 per hour. However, the eastern region had the fourth highest median wage at $17.84 per hour, suggesting the high average wage is due to growth in high-paid occupations. The highest median wage was in the north central region at $18.45 per hour.

Six of the seven Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in Idaho had higher average wages in 2021 than in 2020. The Logan, Utah-Idaho, Lewiston and Twin Falls MSAs each had average wages over $1 per hour higher than in 2020. Pocatello’s 2021 average wages were slightly lower than in 2020, due to job growth concentrated in lower-paying jobs.