Coeur d'Alene had the lowest average wage among the state's five metropolitan areas in 2010 and was the only one that saw a wage decline from the previous year, according to a study released on Tuesday by the Idaho Department of Labor.

The Coeur d'Alene metro area's average wage in 2010 was $17.22 per hour, a dime less than in 2009.

The area's median wage, the point where half the workers are paid more and half are paid less, declined to $13.52 from $13.89 the previous year.

"Living in our beautiful setting with recreational opportunities does seem to come with a price," said Post Falls man Brent Johnson while filling up his car with gas. "And that price comes in the form of wages. It's a tradeoff, I guess, for our clean air and lakes."

Johnson has been looking for a construction job for about a year. Wages, he said, are always a matter of perspective.

"I know it's not a lot to some people, but to me, right now, $17.22 sounds pretty good," he said.

The Boise metro area topped Idaho urban centers in 2010 with a $19.52 average and $15.20 median.

Meanwhile, Idaho wages lost ground in the rankings nationally during the recession. The average wage fell from 37th in 2008 ($17.94) to 38th in 2010 ($18.56), while the median wage dropped in the rankings from 35th in 2008 ($14.32) to 39th in 2010 ($14.54).

Bob Fick, IDL spokesman, said Idaho's decline in the rankings is likely the result of the state being hit harder and faster than many other states by the recession and the heavy loss of higher-paying jobs in construction and manufacturing.

More than half of the jobs lost - 39,000 of 59,000 - were in construction and manufacturing, he said.

Idaho's average wage in 2010 was 15 percent below the nation's average of $21.35, while the state's median wage was 12 percent below the national median of $16.27.

Idaho began to feel the recession in earnest in the fall of 2008. That year, the average Idaho wage was $17.94 an hour, 13.3 percent below the national average, while the median wage was $14.32 an hour, 8.7 percent of the national median.

Massachusetts topped all states with a $25.82 average wage in 2010, while Mississippi brought up the rear at $16.31. Washington, D.C., dominated by government workers, had an average of $35.31.

Details about the average and median wages for specific occupations in Idaho can be found at http://www.bls.gov/oes/#data.