Idaho budgets increasingly constrained even as economic numbers remain strong

In an examination of cost-of-living trends Tuesday, a state labor economist painted a nuanced financial picture for a state that has made sizable gains in reducing poverty in recent years, but has households finding it increasingly difficult to afford necessities.

Broadly speaking, Idaho’s labor numbers this year and over the past decade have been positive, Idaho Department of Labor Economist Seth Harrington said in a webinar Tuesday.