Idaho Among Top 10 States with Most Underpaid Workers Per Hour

My first official job ever was pushing grocery carts for a grocery chain. If I remember correctly, I was making just over $6 an hour. I was just starting high school at the time and I was just excited to have some money to pay for gas. In 2022, however, that would barely cover the cost of a gallon of gas.

Times are different for sure and wages have increased long since my shaggy-haired days, bagging groceries after school. Idaho, however, is among the top ten states with the lowest-paid workers per hour worked according to Lensa.com. That doesn't necessarily mean that Idaho doesn't pay well, there are other factors that have Idaho ranked so poorly.

The data consists of three key factors that determine the best (and in this case, worst) average hourly rate by state:

• Average Annual Working Time
• Average Annual Income
• Average Hourly Pay Rate

So where does Idaho rank?

According to Lensa.com, Idaho ranks ninth in lowest-paid workers, per hour worked. Idaho's average annual working time is 2,002 hours with an average annual income of $48,759. This means the average hourly pay rate for Idaho is $24.36.

While that puts Idaho in ninth place in terms of lowest-paid per hour worked, at least we know that $48,759 annually technically means you're middle-class in Idaho. Hey, we're trying to find the silver lining here. If that's not enough to make you feel better, at least we can sleep at night knowing that Idaho isn't number one or even in the top five.

The number one spot belongs to Mississippi with an average annual working time of 2,043 hours and 35 minutes with an average annual income of $42,129 which equates to $20.62... ouch! That's 41 hours and 35 minutes of more work than Idaho with over $6,000 less earned a year. At least we know that we're not the worst, right?

Here's how the top ten rounded out according to Lensa.com:

1. Mississippi
   • Annual - $42,129
   • Per Hour - $20.62
2. West Virginia
   • Annual - $44,994
   • Per Hour - $22.02
3. Alabama
   • Annual - $46,479
   • Per Hour - $22.80
4. Arkansas
   • Annual - $47,235
   • Per Hour - $23.11
5. New Mexico
   • Annual - $46,338
   • Per Hour - $23.27
6. Kentucky
   • Annual  -$47,339
   • Per Hour - $23.43
7. South Carolina
   • Annual - $48,021
   • Per Hour - $23.56
8. Oklahoma
   • Annual - $49,878
   • Per Hour - $24.04
9. Idaho
   • Annual - $48,759
   • Per Hour - $24.36
10. Arizona
    • Annual - $49,648
    • Per Hour - $24.67