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A comment on U.S. rent has increased 175% faster than household income over past 20 years. Parent comment

Re:U.S. rent has increased 175% faster than household income... by closeparen on Friday March 26, 2021 @03:41PM (#26596082)
That's what I mean! On average this number is less than 3%. If it's managing to be 50% here, what is going on here to make the local economy so staggeringly poor? What does a place this devastated have to offer if the housing is not even cheap?
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Re:U.S. rent has increased 175% faster than household income... by Ccecil on Friday March 26, 2021 @03:49PM (#26596164)
It is semi remote...but still has the "city stuff". Very beautiful area, year round recreation assuming you enjoy winter sports.

But it is a right to work state. I suspect that is part of the issue. There is very much a "Good ol' boys club" in town which has a tendency to employ people due to favors or connections (regardless of qualifications).

Even in the 90s when we had Agilent, Itron, and several other large companies in Spokane the area directly across state line was significantly cheaper to operate in. So we ended up with a few electronics contract manufacturers who got their start being basically sweatshops (yes...solderers get started out at minimum wage or barely above it).

I know a person who in the 90s was making $50/hr as an EE...last I heard he was making $25/hr to do the same job now. (When Agilent shut down it flooded the local market with engineers and techs).

edit: Adding this link for more data. Look at the percentage of renters below poverty level http://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-Coeur-d-Alene-Idaho...

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