Regional news

Regional labor market information

Figure 1.

Northern Idaho, seasonally adjusted data	Jul-26 (P)	Jun-26 (R)	Jul-25 (B)
Civilian labor force	127,191	127,420	128,692
Total employment	121,454	121,236	122,693
Unemployment	5,737	6,184	5,999
Percentage of labor force unemployed	4.51%	4.85%	4.66%
Source: Idaho Department of Labor	P – Preliminary	R – Revised	B – Benchmarked

• All five counties in the northern region experienced slight decreases in the unemployment rate from June 2026 to July 2026. Shoshone County saw the largest decrease in the unemployment rate by 0.5%, from June 2026 to July 2026. The July 2026 regional unemployment rate (4.51%) remained lower than the 4.66% recorded in July 2025.

Figure 2.

Northern Idaho job postings	Jul-26	Jul-25
Unique postings	5,564	5,564
Days posted	29	31
Number of employers	1,213	1,267
Average hourly wage	$23.57	$21.97
Percentage of postings with advertised wage	51%	51%
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• The northern region had approximately 160 more job postings listed during July 2026 compared to June 2026. However, the region had no additional new job postings compared to July 2025. During July 2026, job postings had a duration of 29 days compared to 31 days in July 2025.  Online job postings showed signs of being active for about the same periods of time before being filled or removed when compared to this same period this year.

Figure 3.

Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in northern Idaho	Postings, Jul-26	Postings, Jul-25
Registered Nurses	232	242
Retail Salespersons	231	217
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	170	85
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	157	241
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	101	135
Customer Service Representatives	95	106
Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers	85	103
Laborers and Freight, Stock and Material Movers, Hand	85	72
Medical and Health Services Managers	83	85
Nursing Assistants	83	68
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Northern Idaho’s June postings show steady demand in core sectors, with healthcare remaining the largest driver, even though practitioner roles such as Registered Nurses and Home Health Aides continue to post lower numbers than last year. However, Nursing Assistants have experienced the strongest gains within healthcare, with increased posting volume compared to the same month last year. Transportation and material moving occupations posted some of the most significant gains overall, particularly Truck Drivers and Freight/Stock Movers. Retail-related postings were mixed, with increases in Retail Salespersons but decreases in First-Line Supervisors and Merchandise Displayers.

Figure 4.

Top 10 industries by unique job postings in northern Idaho	Postings, Jul-26	Postings, Jul-25
Healthcare and Social Assistance	832	922
Retail Trade	616	706
Administrative and Support, Waste Management and Remediation Services	449	492
Accommodation and Food Services	333	446
Finance and Insurance	241	185
Manufacturing	232	239
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services	179	244
Construction	157	144
Wholesale Trade	157	209
Transportation and Warehousing	142	60
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• July 2026 had higher counts of new postings within Transportation, Finance and Construction. These growth industries were offset by lower new postings within Healthcare, Retail Trade and Accommodation and Food Services.

Figure 5.

Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in northern Idaho	Median duration (days), Jul-26	Unique postings, Jul-26
Medical Assistants	48	40
Occupational Therapists	37	33
Receptionists and Informational Clerks	36	25
Tellers	35	33
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers	34	40
Registered Nurses	33	232
Carpenters	33	32
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	32	157
Laborers and Freight, Stock and Material Movers, Hand	32	85
Nursing Assistants	32	83
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• The most difficult positions to fill by job posting duration were within Medical Assistants (at 48 days) and Occupational Therapists (at 37 days).

Regional news

• Unemployment insurance (UI) weekly claims: The northern region reported 45 average weekly initial UI claims and 329 average weekly continuing claims during July 2026. Initial claim volume has remained the same from the previous month and decreased 37.5% from the average 71 weekly initial claims filed in July 2025. Statewide, weekly initial claims increased 8.7% from June 2026 and decreased 32.7% from July 2025. Statewide continuing claims increased 2.5% from last month and decreased 7.7% from July 2025. Source: Idaho Department of Labor

• The Idaho Travel Council announced annual grant awards for the state. Eligible award recipients include nonprofit local and regional tourism development organizations. For northern Idaho, the North Idaho Tourism Alliance and Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce are set to receive $244,000, Post Falls Chamber of Commerce will receive $145,000 and the Coeur d’Alene Convention & Visitor Bureau will receive $1,330,000. Source: Idaho Commerce

Bonner County

• Averill Hospitality has revised its plans for a resort hotel at the current site of the Best Western Edgewater Resort. The company now intends to renovate the existing structure and construct a new five‑story south wing that will include 27 condominiums. The reopened hotel at 56 Bridge St. will feature a lobby bar, coffee venue, retail space, outdoor dining areas, a pool and spa, lawn and terrace space for events and a new restaurant. Source: Sandpoint Reader

• The Sandpoint branch of the East Bonner County Library District will begin construction on a facility expansion. The 4,667‑square‑foot, two‑level addition is expected to be completed around March 2027. The project will include additional meeting spaces, study rooms and a café featuring a coffee bar leased to a local business. Source: Sandpoint Reader

• Bonner County commissioners declared an emergency and plan to partially close the Wisconsin Street Bridge, also known as the Merritt Bridge, after significant infrastructure failures were discovered. Repairs will require either major access restrictions or full closure of the bridge. Source: Bonner County Daily Bee

Kootenai County

• The Post Falls City Council approved the construction of 17 cottage homes. In addition to the homes, the developers plan to build extra parking, a recreational space and an outlet road for the new development area. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

• Hayden-based Viking Construction Inc. has started installing the infrastructure for a 52-acre development in Rathdrum. The development will consist of 164 single-family homes, 192 apartments in eight three-story buildings and several commercial buildings. Source: Spokane Journal of Business

• Jitterz Espresso joined Rathdrum Area Chamber of Commerce to celebrate the opening of their first sit-down café in the region. The new café opens in conjunction with the company’s 20th anniversary. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

• Golden Rule Brake held a ribbon cutting ceremony for their new Coeur d’Alene location. This marks their fifth location for the regional chain and their second in northern Idaho. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press and Inland Northwest Business Watch

• A new rock‑climbing business now offers introductory climbing instruction, climbing fundamentals and private guided trips. This is Chillino Rock Climbing’s first northern Idaho location, operating seasonally from July through September. Source: Bonner County Daily Bee

Shoshone County

• Crews began stockpiling concrete in Page, ID to build out Cell 6 of the Page Repository. Current work on Cell 6 is deeper than in previous expansions of the repository. Once the foundation work is complete, there are no further plans for expansion. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

• The Idaho Economic Advisory Council recently recommended Shoshone County (Kellogg, Smelterville and Wardner) for consideration under the federal Opportunity Zone designation. Opportunity Zones are federally designated census tracts created to encourage investment in economically distressed communities. Source: Shoshone News-Press

Regional openings

• Jitterz Sit & Sip Café – Rathdrum

• Golden Rule Brake – Coeur d’Alene

• The Flying Pickle pickleball facility – Post Falls

• Les Schwab Tire Center – Post Falls

• Chillino Rock Climbing – Post Falls

Regional closings

• Super Silver – 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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