February 18, 2019
Peter Orazem, university professor, was interviewed in the Feb. 16 Quad-City Times for the story "Opinions differ on how Illinois' minimum wage hike could affect the bi-state Quad-Cities region."
Economist Peter Orazem, with Iowa State University, said it’s possible the Iowa side of the river may see some economic development benefits from Illinois raising its minimum wage.
“The median wage in rural Iowa is $15 an hour, so I would assume it wouldn’t be that much different across the region,” Orazem said. “But if you’re thinking of what the advantages are of locating a manufacturing facility in a rural area, it’s going to be the lower cost of living and lower wages. So there may be an advantage on the Iowa side.”