Property taxes are growing, U.S. goods are more expensive than a year ago, commodity prices have fallen substantially, and Montana wages are rising while single-family housing starts are tilting to the western part of the state.

These are just a few of the statistical pieces that make up the high wage jobs puzzle for the eastern half of the Bakken, where both agriculture and oil commodities are hitting the down low. This creates obstacles for future high-wage job growth, but all is not lost. A discussion of what puzzle pieces need to be in play to continue growth in high-wage jobs in the region will be on tap at the Sidney USDA-ARS unit as the Bureau of Business and Economic Research out of the University of Montana presents its annual economic outlook.

Read more at http://www.willistonherald.com/news/putting-together-the-high-wage-jobs-puzzle/article_b5f3c55c-feed-11e6-9ce6-138e99f53256.html.