Utilities are 5.8 percent of urban but 7.2 percent of rural household costs, and gasoline is 2.6 percent of urban but 3.9 percent of rural monthly household expenditures. In a few instances when local data were not available, reasonable estimates were derived from the 1996, Third Quarter Consumer Expenditure Survey for the Midwest region. Thrifty plan, September 1997 for a female age 20-50 and two children, aged four and six. Relying on average wages masks the earnings differences for men and women, by educational level, and by employment sector. Job Service North Dakota shows that the three largest types of employers in North Dakota are services, retail trade, and agricultural.
Women are more likely than men to be employed in services and retail trade than in agricultural.
At the current minimum wage, this would require our single mother to work an additional 69 hours every week, just to meet the most basic monthly cost of living budget without further assistance. Food Stamps are another resource that can extend the earnings of limited resource individuals and families. In addition, housing costs may be much lower in rural areas, but food and transportation may be higher. For this analysis, we have chosen to highlight the Fargo-Moorhead area because it is one of the larger communities in the state where jobs are available. North Dakota's labor market is heavily weighted toward the services sector, which has a high proportion of minimum to low wage jobs.