Regional news

Regional labor market information

Figure 1.

Northern Idaho, seasonally adjusted data	Dec-25 (P)	Nov-24 (R)	Dec-24 (B)
Civilian labor force	133,153	132,630	130,951
Total employment	127,251	126,576	124,673
Unemployment	5,902	6,054	6,278
Percentage of labor force unemployed	4.4%	4.6%	4.8%
Source: Idaho Department of Labor	P – Preliminary	R – Revised	B – Benchmarked

Figure 2.

Northern Idaho job postings	Dec-25	Dec-24
Unique postings	1,712	1,394
Days posted	11	14
Number of employers	554	481
Average hourly wage	$24.55	$21.48
Percentage of postings with advertised wage	54%	50%
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Job posting data shows a strengthening labor market year over year, with total postings, hiring employers and posted wages all increasing relative to December 2024. Total postings increased by more than 20% year over year.

Figure 3.

Top 10 industries by unique job postings in northern Idaho	Postings, Dec-25	Postings, Dec-24
Registered Nurses	94	62
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	61	53
Customer Service Representatives	40	23
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	39	10
Medical and Health Services Managers	34	25
Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics	34	10
Nursing Assistants	31	18
Fast Food and Counter Workers	29	27
Retail Salespersons	29	84
Physical Therapists	28	2
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 and Transportation and Warehousing.

Figure 4.

Top 10 industries by unique job postings in northern Idaho	Postings, Dec-25	Postings, Dec-24
Health Care and Social Assistance	306	291
Administrative and Support Services	179	120
Retail Trade	159	190
Accommodation and Food Services	104	92
Finance and Insurance	80	50
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services	67	60
Public Administration	64	43
Manufacturing	59	50
Wholesale Trade	53	47
Transportation and Warehousing	44	25
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Top industries for job postings remained largely consistent year over year. Health Care consistently dominates hiring activity, with large consumer sectors like Retail Trade and Accommodation and Food Services also making large contributions.

Figure 5.

Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in northern Idaho	Median duration (days), Dec-25	Unique postings, Dec-25
Meeting, Convention and Event Planners	27	3
Financial Risk Specialists	22	2
Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity	22	2
Health Care Social Workers	22	1
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder and Mental Health Counselors	21	5
Bakers	21	4
Pest Control Workers	21	3
Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners	21	1
Animal Caretakers	21	1
Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians	21	1
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 most showing fewer than 10 postings.

Regional news

• Amid the warmest winter on record, snowpack across northern Idaho is far below normal, creating what a hydrologist at the Idaho Department of Water Resources have called a “snow drought.” Precipitation levels have been normal, but high temperatures have led to more rain than snow, allowing high runoff. The low snowpack makes it likely that northern Idaho will continue to see drought conditions for the fourth consecutive year. Source: Bonner County Daily Bee

Kootenai County

• Heritage Health is breaking ground on Phase 2 of their Center for Healthy Living. When the new phase is completed, it will consolidate a variety of services in a single facility, including medical, dental, pediatric and behavioral health services. The Phase 2 facility will cost $4 million and is expected to be completed in the fall of 2026. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

• An 85,000 square foot, $5 million indoor pickleball facility is under construction in Post Falls. Slated for opening in June, The Flying Pickle is the first northern Idaho franchise for the Meridian-based company. The facility will include 24 indoor courts. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

Regional openings

• Hyatt Place (Post Falls)

• Better Together Coffee Co. (Coeur d’Alene)

• Denver Mattress (Coeur d’Alene)

• Local Market (Post Falls)

• Unbound Occupational Therapy (Kootenai County)

• Club Pilates (Post Falls)

• Post Falls Brewing – CDA (Coeur d’Alene)

• Giuseppe’s Pasta Posto Osteria (Coeur d’Alene)

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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.

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