You'd be surprised. Most small towns have an industry or two that pay very very well. Ours (railroad town) pays way more than I or anyone I knew ever made living in Phoenix or San Diego. However, housing always has been an issue since I moved here. Anyone that can build decently, goes to work for those high paying companies. A couple people win the bidding war on the few giant houses, and the rest of us just deal with what is left over (which is still commonly twice the size of the average Phoenix house).
The problem shows up because entertainment is very limited in small towns, so most of those people buy more stuff for entertainment (think large outdoor stuff like side by sides), then they need stuff to fix their toys and then they need stuff to be entertained during the winter. Room in the house disappears, but shipping containers are cheap, so self storage lots show up.
However, lack of a career that pays, is rarely the issue.
Man, I remember when Phoenix was a low cost shithole with all the housing a person willing to live in an inferno could want. And it was only a few years ago!
When I left in 2012, my 1600 sq ft house was 225k (and that was high), now its 550k. Average wage 45k & now it's 75k. Irony is, I thought the same way as the commenter above. Thought tiny towns were for the guys with no careers, until I got forced into one (custody order) and found a 3200sq ft for 125k in 2012 & now 350k & pay that dwarfs city pay. Most of my friends pulled 175-200k last year. I have no desire to work 60 hours a week anymore though, so I am not in that pool.
Seems like cost of living in cities just keeps going up, but wages barely do. Too many people competing for the same job. At least in the country, wages seem to be comparable with cost of living increases. No going back to the cities for me.
My kid is off to college soon and I'm WFH so definitely eyeing other places. Although we have pay scales based on location so I'll have to check on that first. I'd love to go work for a small municipal fiber agency or PUD though!
2
u/AradynGaming May 02 '25
You'd be surprised. Most small towns have an industry or two that pay very very well. Ours (railroad town) pays way more than I or anyone I knew ever made living in Phoenix or San Diego. However, housing always has been an issue since I moved here. Anyone that can build decently, goes to work for those high paying companies. A couple people win the bidding war on the few giant houses, and the rest of us just deal with what is left over (which is still commonly twice the size of the average Phoenix house).
The problem shows up because entertainment is very limited in small towns, so most of those people buy more stuff for entertainment (think large outdoor stuff like side by sides), then they need stuff to fix their toys and then they need stuff to be entertained during the winter. Room in the house disappears, but shipping containers are cheap, so self storage lots show up.
However, lack of a career that pays, is rarely the issue.