Making work pay?

We work hard for mediocre money.

Average income in Idaho ranks below mid-level compared to other states, according to a listing released by MoneyRanks.com.

Idaho's average adjusted income is $34,393.37, based on cost of living, state taxes and unemployment, the financial research site reports.

That falls at 32nd in a ranking of states from highest to lowest average incomes.

Some say that pay in Kootenai County doesn't even feel mid-level, though.

Britney Hall, who works at Mexican Food Factory in Coeur d'Alene, said low wages here make it hard to afford the basics.

"I had to move back to live with my mom, and I'm 23 years old," the Post Falls woman said.

Hall worked two jobs for a while, she added, before starting general education classes at North Idaho College.

"It was either work two jobs, or work one job and go to school," she said. "I decided school was probably my best choice."

Idaho's average pay in 2010 was $34,946, about $10,000 less than the national average, said regional economist Alivia Body with Idaho Department of Labor.

In Kootenai County, average pay last year was $31,993.

"We have low wages in Idaho," Body said simply. "I can't attribute it to anything else."

On top of that, regional industries are still suffering from the recession, she said. Average wages declined last year in all industries but mining in Idaho and Kootenai County.

"I attribute that to less hours worked," Body said.

Overall income is affected by unemployment, too, she said, adding that Kootenai County's 11 percent unemployment rate is the 13th highest in the state.

Still, John Kinyon is thrilled with wages and general expenses in North Idaho.

Everything beats what he suffered through in Sonoma, Calif., the 41-year-old said, before his Postal Service job transferred him out here a year and a half ago.

"Every dollar goes a lot farther here than in California," Kinyon said. "The cost of living is cheaper, gas is cheaper, housing is cheaper."

His wife doesn't have to work, either, the Hayden man added, allowing her more time with their children.

"In California, a lot of people have to rely on two incomes," he said. "They have to drop their kids off at daycare for 8, 10, 12 hours, so you don't get to see your kids much."

Not everyone is satisfied with Idaho salaries, observed Stacey Curson of Coeur d'Alene.

"I know people who drive to work in Spokane because wages are better there," said Curson, a teacher at Kinder Magic. "Even minimum wage is much higher in Washington."

She doesn't think Kootenai County has an egregiously high cost of living, she said.

The recession just has hard-working folks struggling everywhere.

"If folks can't afford a new house, contractors are out of work. If no one is building new houses, manufacturers are out of work," Curson said. "Everything trickles down."

Correna Barnard, owner of Fitness on Fourth, is far from impressed with North Idaho wages.

"It feels like about an hour of work is a gallon of gas," the Coeur d'Alene woman observed.

She has noticed many customers taking pay cuts or accepting lower-paying jobs, she added, especially last summer when many dropped their gym memberships.

"A lot of people consider it a luxury," Barnard said. "They have to make priorities."

Barnard feels the pressure of unemployment here, too, she said, after watching the fruitless job hunts her 20- and 21-year-old children have endured.

"I think people out there in the middle class are looking for positions usually for younger people," she said.

Her advice: Network. Hob knob. Get some referrals.

"It's all about who you know," she said. "Getting your foot in the door."