They pay the price to live in Duluth

DULUTH (AP) -- Whether you're the chief executive of a company, a computer programmer or teller in the Duluth area, chances are you're not making as much money as your counterparts in the rest of Minnesota or the nation.

But if you're an elementary school teacher, construction laborer or machinist, you may be making more than people with the same jobs elsewhere.

Salary survey data from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development last week show that overall, workers in the Duluth-Superior (Wis.) Metropolitan Statistical Area earn a median wage of $12.98 per hour.

That's about 2 percent higher than St. Cloud's median wage. But it's also about 5 percent less than the national median, 12 percent less than the state and 20 percent less than Rochester.

"That's the price we pay to live in Duluth," said Tony Barrett, an economics professor at the College of St. Scholastica. An economist would say that every decision has consequences, and deciding to live in northern Minnesota with its scenic beauty and less-hurried lifestyle also means lower wages for many people, he said.