Regional news

Regional labor market information

Figure 1.

Southwestern Idaho, seasonally adjusted data	Dec-25 (P)	Nov-25 (R)	Dec-24 (B)
Civilian labor force	497,593	494,453	491,225
Total employment	480,424	477,596	473,414
Unemployment	17,169	16,857	17,811
Percentage of labor force unemployed	3.5%	3.4%	3.6%
Source: Idaho Department of Labor	P – Preliminary	R – Revised	B – Benchmarked

• Since last year, the civilian labor force grew by 1.3% in southwestern Idaho, making it the state’s fastest growing region. Additionally, the region’s labor force grew four times faster than the state, which experienced a growth rate of .3%. The unemployed in southwestern Idaho grew by 1.9% over the month, reinforcing the concept that there is a gap of time that occurs between relocation to southwestern Idaho or the re-entry into the labor force by active job searching and the actual hire.

Figure 2.

Southwestern Idaho job postings	Dec-25	Dec-24
Unique postings	9,261	7,430
Days posted	11	15
Number of employers	2,485	2,265
Median hourly wage	$31.20	$27.51
Percentage of postings with advertised wage	56%	51%
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Since December 2024, the advertised wage increased by 13.4%, with the days posted dropping by about 25%. The number of unique postings grew by 25%. The labor force continues to be tight for employers, instigating a hike in wages to fill open positions.

Figure 3.

Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in southwestern Idaho	Postings, Dec-25	Postings, Dec-24
Registered Nurses	305	280
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products	234	166
Customer Service Representatives	187	155
Retail Salespersons	171	203
Physicians	162	48
Trailer-Tractor Truck Drivers	161	95
Software Developers	150	111
Business Development and Sales Managers	113	55
Project Managers	106	97
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	100	132
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

Figure 4.

Top 10 industries by unique job postings in southwestern Idaho	Postings, Dec-25	Postings, Dec-24
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	593	543
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	285	169
Engineering Services	275	121
Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers	257	138
Other General Government Support	219	163
Limited-Service Restaurants	169	159
Supermarkets and Other Grocery (Except Convenience Stores)	168	198
Home Health Care Services	136	49
Pharmacies and Drug Retailers	122	68
Commercial Banking	120	68
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

Figure 5.

Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in southwestern Idaho	Median duration, Dec-25 (days)	Unique postings, Dec-25
Restaurant and Food Service Supervisors	21	59
Computer Support Specialists	19	57
Retail Salespersons	15	171
Cashiers	14	56
Contracts Administrators	13	187
Customer Service Representatives	13	187
Construction Managers	13	71
Retail Store Managers	12	100
Office Administrative Assistants	12	83
Operations Manager	12	75
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

Regional news

Ada County

• Villa Sport acquired the six Crunch Fitness locations across the Treasure Valley. This brings the total of Villa Sport locations to 10 after purchasing Axiom gyms two years earlier. Villa Sport will be serving more than 50,000 members. Source: CBS2 News

• In June 2026, Alaska Airlines will offer a direct flight from Boise to Anchorage, Alaska. These flights are offered for the summer season running from June to mid-August. Roundtrip flights are on Wednesdays and Sundays. Previously, a connecting flight from Portland or Seattle was part of the itinerary for those traveling to Anchorage. Source: Idaho Business Review

• The Village at Meridian is expanding, adding 100,000 square feet of space for retail and restaurants on 20 acres within six buildings. About one-third of the tenants are expected to be doing business by the 2026 holiday season. Signed leases place occupancy at 90% thus far, including retail such as Alo Yoga, Vuori, Kendra Scott and Flower Child. Two of the buildings are expected to house stand-alone restaurants to be finished later, likely in 2027. Source: Idaho Statesman

• A fire closed Ashley Manor, an assisted living facility in Boise. Eight residents and four staff were safely evacuated when the attic fire was identified. The residents were transported to another facility until after the cleanup. Source: Idaho Statesman

• The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded the City of Boise a million-dollar grant to study Fairview Avenue between Cole and Curtis as a high-crash statistical area. The grant was awarded through the Safe Streets and Roads for All program with 521 recipients nationally. There was $1.9 million awarded to five projects across Idaho. Source: Idaho Press

• Blue Cross of Idaho announced it will lay off 89 staff across various departments at their Meridian headquarters. Some of the employees laid off will be eligible for six months of severance. According to the company, they are implementing restructuring and efficiency measures. Source: CBS2 News

• After an 11-month hiatus, the Portland-to-Boise bus route was returned thanks to efforts by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). The route was discontinued by Greyhound in 2025. ODOT recently awarded Northwestern Stage Lines $600,000 from a Federal Transit Administration Intercity Bus Program grant to reinstate the route which begins in Portland and ends with two Idaho stops in Nampa and Boise. The stops in between are to the Oregon cities of Hood River, The Dalles, Boardman, Hermiston, Pendleton, La Grande, Baker City and Ontario, as well as one stop in Pasco, Washington. The daily service has capacity for 55 passengers. Source: Idaho Press

• Clearwater Analytics, headquartered in downtown Boise, has been acquired by a private investment group for $8.4 billion. It will move from a publicly traded company domain upon approval by its shareholders who stand to gain a premium of 47% over its November trading price. Source: Idaho News 6

• Costco submitted an official application to build a warehouse store with a fuel station in Eagle. There are currently three other Costco warehouses in the Treasure Valley. Source: Idaho News 6

• Ada County hospitals reported four times as many flu patients since last year and at least three deaths reported since Christmas Eve. Nationally, there were 11 million flu cases — the highest level in three decades. Source: KTVB News

• The U.S. Department of Labor settled a violation with the owner of Barbacoa Grill and Coa De Jima Restaurant when the Boise employer failed to pay minimum wage and overtime to 388 workers in violation of federal law. The employer deducted uniform costs from workers’ pay, reducing it below the minimum wage requirements and only paid overtime when the worker exceeded 80 hours in a pay period, instead of the legally required time-and-one-half pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. The restaurant operator allowed managers and supervisors to share in a mandatory tip pool, creating a scenario where the tip credit was lost. The Wage and Hour Division recovered $366,261 in back wages for 388 workers. Source: dol.gov

Canyon County

• A commercial hangar at the Caldwell Executive Airport should be ready for occupancy by this summer. The hangar is designed with flexible space allowing for both public events and its main purpose of storing the aircraft. Vertical Venues is the name of the 12,000 square foot hangar that is privately owned and midway through construction. The event capacity of the venue will be 250 people with 80 parking spaces. It will be possible to add an aviation experience such as helicopter rides, skydiving and a group helicopter class for additional charges. The owner signed a 20-year land lease with the Caldwell Executive Airport and was approved for a special use permit from the city of Caldwell. Source: Idaho Press

• West Valley Humane Society lost its contract with Canyon County and the cities of Nampa and Caldwell after requesting a significant increase in its contract. It requested an appeal stating the new service provider, Copper Quill Haven, is not ready with a plan of operation. Copper Quill Haven is run by a veterinary doctor and her husband who own three Idaho hospitals in Nampa, Idaho Falls and Moscow. The appeal was rejected. West Valley handled 7,000 animals annually. Source: Idaho Press

• Caldwell Fire Department plans to transform Caldwell’s former city hall into its administrative facility co-located with a modern fire station that replaces the oldest station. A fourth fire station will be built in an area with significant commercial and residential development. The goal is to keep response times closer to the national average response time of four minutes. Voters approved a bond of $17.3 million dedicated to the new projects. Source: Idaho Press

Owyhee County

• The Homedale Senior Center closed unexpectedly leaving some 50 seniors bewildered and wondering where they will meet with friends in the community. The senior center was not only a social hub, but provided hot meals for older residents in the community. Source:KTVB News

Valley County

• CrossFit Acclivity held an open house in McCall to celebrate its new gym after originally opening in 2024 at the owner’s 400 square foot home garage. The new space is 3,000 square feet for training plus a sauna and cold-plunge recovery room, a mobility room, several bathrooms and an in-gym massage therapy. There are five classes per day during the week and two classes on Saturdays. Source: The Star-News

Washington County

• Weiser Memorial Hospital is the third in Idaho to install a Safe Haven Baby Box after fundraising for a year to reach its $29,000 goal. The Safe Haven Baby Box is a secure, climate-controlled and anonymous way to surrender a newborn. Once the door is closed, hospital staff are alerted and retrieve the infant immediately to provide medical care. Since 2017, the Weiser Memorial Hospital has recorded seven involuntary infant surrenders. Source: Idaho News 6

Regional openings

• The city of Boise’s mayor cut the ribbon welcoming the new Interfaith Shelter that will provide over 200 beds with wings for single men, single women and families. Its previous location did not allow for daytime stays and the unhoused had to carry their belongings with them throughout the day. The new shelter has lockers by each bed and residents don’t have to go out into inclement weather while having a homebase to establish as an address for applications for housing, work and health care. There is also programming provided to keep them engaged with the community. Source: Idaho Statesman

• The Boise Airport is remodeling the space dedicated to food and merchandise. Now open are Form & Function Coffee, which replaced Harvest & Grounds in Concourse C, while Starbucks replaced Einstein Bagels in Concourse B. Bardenay Restaurant continues to be located near TSA, now reopened after its renovation. Source: Idaho Statesman

• El Cafetal, an authentic Columbian restaurant opened in Boise’s Warehouse Food Hall. Source: Boise Weekly

• El Gaucho, a fine-dining brand that is headquartered out of Seattle, is opening in a downtown Boise space, most recently home to House of Western. The restaurant specializes in steak, seafood and cocktails with old-school, upscale service including a built-in fire table at the bar, live piano music, chandeliers and waitstaff in tuxedos. The 10,000 square foot space lends itself to private events such as corporate parties. Source: Idaho Statesman

Regional closings

• Nara Teriyaki & Wok closed its Boise location after opening in 2021. It was a different concept than its sister locations, Nara Ramen and Sushi Bar, that are still in operation. It was a faster food service, not offering cocktails or sushi. Source: Idaho Statesman

• Eddie Bauer closed its doors in the Boise Factory Outlet Mall. It was the last of the stores that existed since the early ‘90s. A new Kenworth dealership will demolish the five building and most of the landscaping, making way for new construction. Source: KTVB News

• Chow Public Market and Eatery near the Regal Boise megaplex is closing. It started in 2018 with nine tenants and was the first food court of its kind in the valley. The theater is remodeling with new ownership while current tenants of the Chow will close their doors. Magnolia Beer + Wine Bar and Teal Magnolia Gifts, along with Paint ‘n Sip, an art studio, will be gone come spring. Flava Kitchen and Food Culture catering may be walled off to allow for a different configuration of space going forward. Source: Idaho Statesman

• The Burlington Store in Boise has closed. The store is attached to an Albertsons grocery store. A permit has been submitted to the city of Boise with plans to convert the space into a gym by Vasa Fitness. Source: Idaho Statesman

• White Rabbit located on Boise’s Bench closed its doors. The fine dining restaurant and its property were sold to the Wylder Hospitality Group that operates six other restaurants in Boise. Source: Idaho Statesman

• Carl’s Jr. closed its standalone restaurant in Boise with Dave’s Hot Chicken expected to replace it. There are still Carl’s Jr. restaurants operating in Boise, Meridian, Eagle and Nampa. Source: Idaho Statesman

• Acapulco Mexican Restaurant in Caldwell is closing after 35 years. New ownership will bring El Burro Premier which has operated out of a food truck for 10 years. This will be their first time with a sit-down restaurant while continuing with the food truck operation. Source: Idaho Press

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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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