CAMERON COLUMN: If money's the only goal, you should go

Quit whining.

Yes, we’re talking to you — the folks who read about Idaho’s low average wages, then went on a rant about how it’s so unfair, and you can’t possibly raise a family here without eating Ramen noodles for every meal, yada, yada.

More specifically, many of you pointed to the pain of trying to exist on horrible pay in Kootenai County. You compared it to Spokane — what does that have to do with anything? — and you moaned again about you’re stuck here in the middle of nowhere without enough cash for a bowl of gruel.

OK, before we get even MORE wound up about wages, the cost of living and so forth, let’s re-state the facts.

Some numbers have a tiny bearing on things because the Idaho Department of Labor made a point of correcting the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — raising both the state and Kootenai County wage averages to their proper levels.

We all agree this isn’t Bill Gates stuff, but nonetheless, the correct weekly wage averages — as of March this year — were $776 for Idaho overall and $722 for Kootenai County.

LOOK, nobody is suggesting we’re rolling in money here.

That county wage figures out to $37,544 per year, plus insurance and whatever other benefits local full-time employees receive as part of their pay packet.

And in reality, the average worker in Kootenai County actually earns more than that, because both the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the state include part-time employees in their statistics.

That obviously drags the figures down, so for the sake of argument, let’s say the average worker in the Coeur d’Alene area earns somewhere between $40,000 and $45,000 in real money (yep, that generally includes medical insurance and other benefits, which you’d have to pay out of pocket if you opened your own widget plant).

It ain’t Silicon Valley, OK?

But that’s not why people live here.

The whole argument is really very, very simple: If you want to chase big dollars, shoot for a giant house with a swimming pool and a new Mercedes.

Move someplace where the pay meets your expectations.

Go sit in those two-hour commutes, fight your way through grocery stores, endure people calling you names if you dare to cross the street in front of them — have at it.

HERE’S the proof that a ton of people disagree with you: Kootenai County is growing, both economically and in terms of raw population.

So if you want to bail on your “poor-paying” job and move the family to San Jose or Atlanta or Seattle or somewhere you can make a lot more money, know this: Someone is waiting to take your job (and mostly likely, your house or apartment) before you’ve even gotten out of state.

This whole discussion is not about money.

Not really.

It’s about a lifestyle choice.

Deciding to live in North Idaho and enjoying all the amazing things on offer here means that this sort of place makes you happy.

There’s the lake, the mountains, good schools, great neighbors... and yes, Spokane down the road if you need to fly somewhere.

And despite what the naysayers were arguing, the cost of living IS cheaper here than all of your likely destinations.

Some people brought up the fact that cars and food aren’t cheaper here, but the biggest hit of all — the cost of housing — is almost unbelievably less expensive here.

WHEN I moved to Coeur d’Alene, I had my choice — in a one-day search — of two terrific apartments. Both would have cost about double in almost any other city I’ve ever lived, and triple in one or two cases.

Will I be rolling in money because of a move to North Idaho?

No.

Will I have a neat lifestyle with pretty much everything I’m looking for, and still save a little money?

Yep.

You don’t pop up near the Canadian border to become CEO of Apple or a hedge fund manager repping for some Wall Street mega-bank.

You come here because you love almost everything about it, and the fact that you may have to settle for a Chevy wagon instead of that Lexus is no big deal. And remember, more people are arriving than leaving, so... I hate to say it this way... you won’t be missed. At least not in the work force.

I think it comes down to a simple question: Are you happy?

Most folks will say yes.

But hey, if you want to chase that massive paycheck, nobody will blame you for leaving.

Please, though...

Don’t stick around, enjoy all the fantastic amenities of North Idaho, and then whine about why you aren’t making a quarter-million per year.

You sound silly.

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Steve Cameron is a special assignment reporter for The Press. Reach Steve at [email protected]