How Raising the Minimum Wage Won’t Help Things in Bozeman

Even though the minimum wage might be rising soon, that won't help out the situation that has been a problem in the Gallatin Valley for years.

So I saw a recent article about how Costco plans on raising their minimum wage and their CEO even stated that most hourly employees make around $24/hour which is fantastic but that got me thinking about the situation here in the Gallatin Valley.

I know they are thinking about raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour nationwide but that won't help things in Bozeman. So many service and retail businesses have been offering hourly wages around $13-$15 an hour but they keep having trouble trying to find employees.

The reason behind that is due to the fact that even though that in a major increase in pay, that doesn't even scratch the surface of being able to afford rent or buy a house here in the Gallatin Valley. We have all seen the rising costs of rent and median house prices for years and the situation keeps getting worse.

With rising prices, people who work service industry jobs from retail to food are going to get pushed out of the Gallatin Valley and that is going to be a huge problem in the future.

Listen, I am all for people getting paid a decent wage but if that wage isn't going to help you live a better life or having an opportunity to buy a house in the Gallatin Valley, is it worth it? Bozeman needs to figure this situation out fast or this will be a huge problem.