Regional news

Regional labor market information

Figure 1.

Northern Idaho job postings	Sep-25	Sep-24
Unique postings	1,735	1,792
Days posted	17	14
Number of employers	609	646
Average hourly wage	$21.48	$21.97
Percentage of postings with advertised wage	57%	53%
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Overall job posting levels in northern Idaho are generally stable each year, showing normal levels of labor demand. The average hourly wage offered in posted jobs decreased slightly, suggesting a modest change in the mix of posted jobs. 

Figure 2.

Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in nothern Idaho	Postings, Sep-25	Postings, Sep-24
Registered nurses	76	72
Retail salespersons	62	80
Home health and personal care aides	46	58
Customer service representatives	39	29
Merchandise displayers and window trimmers	30	19
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	28	29
Laborers and freight, stock and material movers, hand	28	36
Health technologists and technicians, all other	23	18
Fast food and counter workers	23	23
Food service managers	22	21
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• The highest in-demand occupations in northern Idaho are concentrated in a few specific sectors, including health care, consumer services like retail trade, food services, transportation and warehousing.
  

Figure 3.

Top 10 industries by unique job postings in northern Idaho	Postings, Sep-25	Postings, Sep-24
Health care and social assistance	223	275
Retail trade	187	244
Administrative and support services	167	184
Accommodation and food services	138	93
Manufacturing	79	91
Professional, scientific and technical services	73	71
Wholesale trade	60	74
Finance and insurance	57	78
Construction	40	59
Information	39	19
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Top industries for labor demand remained consistent each year, with the same top five listings. However, postings in the four out of five top industries declined year over year, with only accommodation and food services seeing an increase.

Figure 4.

Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in eastern Idaho	Median duration, Sep-25	Unique postings, Sep-25
Parts salespersons	28	7
Electricians	28	7
Audio and video technicians	28	1
Educational, guidance, career counselors and advisors	27	5
Dentists and all other specialists	27	1
Mental health and substance abuse social workers	24	2
Middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education	23	1
Cooks and fast food workers	22	15
Tutors	22	3
Pest control workers	22	2
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• The most difficult to fill positions in northern Idaho are relatively rare and are in low demand, with fewer than 10 postings.

Regional news

• Home sales and prices increased year over year in the Inland Northwest, including in Kootenai County. Year to date single family sales in Kootenai County were 1,892 at the end of September (a 4% increase over 2024) while median prices climbed to $547,250 for a 3% year over year increase. Source: Journal of Business

Kootenai County

• A new affordable housing development is opening in Post Falls. ’The Arc’ features 38 single family homes priced at $375,000, with resale limitations designed to ensure long-term affordability. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press
  

• The City of Rathdrum is moving forward to approve the Solara subdivision, which is expected to include 436 residential properties and 21 industrial lots. The Rathdrum Planning and Zoning Commission moved to recommend approval to the city council. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

Shoshone County

• Shoshone County secured a $7.5 million Community Wildfire Defense Grant from the U.S. Forest Service to support fire mitigation projects. The county has identified more than 18,000 acres of high-risk forestland and 1,275 acres of private property for fire mitigation risk work. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

Regional openings

• Jersey Mike’s Subs (Hayden)

• Sportive Studio (Coeur d’Alene)

• Eyemart Express (Coeur d’Alene)

• U-Haul Moving and Storage (Post Falls)

• Big Flipper (Coeur d’Alene)

• Tandoori Grill (Coeur d’Alene)

• Cultura CDA (Coeur d’Alene)

---

This Idaho Department of Labor project is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor for SFY26 as part of the Workforce Information grant (41%) and state/nonfederal funds (59%) totaling $860,595.

This workforce product was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. The product was created by the recipient and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The U.S. Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership. This product is copyrighted by the institution that created it. Internal use by an organization and/or personal use by an individual for non-commercial purposes is permissible. All other uses require the prior authorization of the copyright owner.