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Concerns about the Local Economy in Small Idaho Towns

Fr: Susan Buckles, APR
      Northwest Area Foundation
      60 Plato Boulevard East
      St. Paul, MN 55107
      651-225-3865
      sbuckles@nwaf.org

ST. PAUL, Minn. September 2, 2008 -   People who live in small Idaho towns are more worried about their income and more likely to rate their local economy as only fair or poor than are people who live in the city. Those findings come from a national poll on perceptions of people who are struggling to make ends meet commissioned by the Northwest Area Foundation. The national poll explored people’s attitudes and concerns about their local economies, who is struggling financially and the role of locally elected officials.

Poll results show:

• Sixty-two percent of Idahoans who live in a town of 5,000 or fewer rate their local economy as only fair or poor

• Forty-three percent of Idahoans who live in a city bigger than 30,000 rate their local economy as only fair or poor

• Thirty-nine percent of those who live in a town of 5,000 or fewer vs. 31 percent of those who live in a city bigger than 30,000 worry all or most of the time their family income won’t be enough to meet their expenses

Nationally, seven of 10 respondents also said a family of four needs at least $40,000 a year to make ends meet, a figure nearly twice the federal poverty threshold. In Idaho, 62 percent said it takes at least $40,000 a year to support the basic needs of a family of four.

The Northwest Area Foundation is dedicated to supporting efforts by the people, organizations and communities in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable prosperity. These states were served by the Great Northern Railway, founded by James J. Hill. In 1934, Hill’s son, Louis W. Hill, established the foundation. To learn more, visit www.nwaf.org.

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The Northwest Area Foundation (NWAF) commissioned Lake Research Partners (LRP) to conduct a national tracking survey to among 4,000 Americans age 18 and older, from February 8-29, 2008. Eight hundred interviews were conducted nationally, and oversamples of 400 were conducted in each of the following eight states: Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. The oversamples were weighted down to reflect their true proportion in the country. The margin of error is +/-3.5 percentage points for national and +/-5.0 points for state results. This is the third survey of its kind, replicating studies NWAF and LRP released in March 2006 and April 2007.