Regional labor market information

Southwestern Idaho’s single-family home sales – December 2023 and 2024

Figure 2.

	Dec-23	Dec-24	% change	# change
Unique postings	6,971	7,306	4.8%	335
Days posted	8	15	87.5%	7
Number of employers	2,130	2,121	-0.4%	-9
Advertised wage	$23.32	$27.14	16.4%	$3.82
Share wage advertisements	47%	50%	6.4%	3%
Source: Help Wanted Online data via Lightcast

Figure 3.

Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in southwestern Idaho	Postings, Dec-24	Postings, Dec-23	Year over year % change
Registered nurses	246	348	-29.3%
Retail salespersons	166	212	-21.7%
Sales representatives, wholesale, manufacturing, except technical and scientific products	166	143	16.1%
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers	160	158	1.3%
Customer service representatives	159	156	1.9%
Trailer-tractor truck drivers	93	107	-13.1%
Software developers	106	62	71.0%
Project management specialists	86	80	7.5%
Fast food and counter workers	86	47	83.0%
Laborers, freight, stock, material movers and hand	79	88	-10.2%
Source: Help Wanted Online data via Lightcast

Ada County

• The North End Zone project broke ground as the Boise State Bronco’s blue turf adds skyboxes and more elite seating for fans. The $65 million project will allow other sports to utilize the facility when football season is over. The Boise State band will move to the South End Zone for next year’s football season. Source: Idaho News 6

• Albertsons Companies announced there will be layoffs within its Idaho corporate workforce but will not affect store personnel. The specifics are still being reviewed and will be announced over the next month. This comes after a planned acquisition by Kroger was deemed a threat to competition by the courts. The ruling was handed down after lawsuits were filed by the state attorney generals in both Washington and Colorado. Albertsons Companies immediately filed a lawsuit against Kroger for undermining the transaction. Source: KTVB News and Idaho Statesman

• The Supreme Court ruled against the district court’s affirmation of the Boise City Council decision which allowed a conditional use permit for the Interfaith Sanctuary’s new shelter in Boise. The permit was originally denied by Boise Planning and Zoning based on concerns of the Veteran’s Park Neighborhood Association. The decision was overturned by Boise City Council members. The nonprofit has started renovation and construction of the 200-bed shelter. The case has been remanded to the district court with instructions to invalidate the council’s actions. Source: CBS2 News

Boise County

• Highway 21 was closed for an extended period due to avalanches and the potential to trigger additional avalanches. The closure of the road impacts residents of Idaho City and Lowman, as well as deliveries to stores and residents living in these mountainous areas. People traveling to Stanley had been rerouted to Highway 75, adding an additional couple of hours to the drive. Source: Idaho Statesman

• Bogus Basin received the prestigious top award for best ski resorts nationally by Newsweek based on a poll of its readership (rankings provided below). The Bogus Basin Tubing Hill was ranked seventh by Newsweek readers in its category of tubing hills. Source: Idaho Business Review

1. Bogus Basin, Boise, Idaho
2. Deer Valley Resort, Park City, Utah
3. Whiteface Mountain, Wilmington, New York
4. Sun Valley Resort, Sun Valley, Idaho
5. Aspen Snowmass Ski Resort, Snowmass Village, Colorado
6. Vail Ski Resort, Vail, Colorado
7. Alta Ski Area, Alta, Utah
8. Telluride Ski Resort, Telluride, Colorado
9. Heavenly Ski Resort, South Lake Tahoe, California
10. Steamboat Ski Resort, Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Canyon County

• St. Luke’s announced the opening of an OB/GYN clinic in Nampa above the former Saltzer Urgent Care Clinic. The closure of Saltzer’s operations by its parent company, Intermountain Health, left a women’s health services void. It employed nine physicians, either medical doctors, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives or physicians’ assistants. To further exacerbate the shortage, Caldwell’s West Valley Medical Center closed its labor and delivery unit, along with its OB/GYN practice. St. Luke’s will open with one full-time physician and two full-time certified nurse midwives initially. Source: Idaho News 6

• Darigold, a subsidiary of Northwest Dairy Association, with member dairies in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, received and agreed to pay a $318,000 fine from the Environmental Protection Agency. The company’s milk processing plant in Caldwell is accused of high levels of E. coli exceeding allowable limits in its discharge to the lower Boise River which feeds into the Snake River, then the Columbia River before connecting with the Pacific Ocean. The 300,000 gallons that are dumped daily based on Darigold’s permit were allowed volume-wise, yet the company failed to properly inspect and test for bacteria counts. The incidents occurred in January and May of 2020, then again in May 2021. Source: Idaho Statesman

Elmore County

• Mountain Home’s Richard McKenna Charter High School is expanding with the addition of 25,000 square feet at an estimated cost of $9.8 million. The addition to the existing high school building includes a new gym for indoor sports and workout equipment, along with a garage for the buses and vans used to transport students. There will be more classrooms with an emphasis on drones, robots, cyber security and programming. Completion should be in May of this year. An additional 130 students were enrolled prompting the expansion. Source: Mountain Home News 

Gem County

• Connectivity will soon be enhanced in Emmett after completion of a project that is underway. Idaho communities from Grangeville to Star will be positively impacted by the investment. Currently, multiple crews are laying 198 miles of fiber optic cable that will allow broadband access by both municipalities and private providers to these rural areas. Grant funding was provided by a middle-mile infrastructure grant from the State of Idaho’s Broadband Advisory Board, which is a conduit to the CARES Act monies. The grant provided $20 million with a $60 million match from participating entities. Crews are installing one to two miles of cable daily. Work around Emmett is to be completed this January by the public and private collaboration between Intermountain Infrastructure Group and Idaho Regional Optical Network. The project started in 2023 and has a completion deadline of February 2026. Source: Idaho Press  

Owyhee County

• Conduit for broadband is being installed in Murphy based on a $4.3 million grant from the Idaho Broadband Advisory Board. White Cloud Communications obtained the grant to provide fiber optic connectivity to rural Owyhee County. A new cell tower has already been developed in Murphy based on an earlier attempt to utilize broadband funding. More projects throughout the county will be completed in Grand View and Bruneau with the plan to provide fiber for Rimrock Schools and C.J. Strike Reservoir. Source: The Owyhee Avalanche

Valley County

• The McCall-Donnelly School District hosted a grand opening of its new employee housing development. The project offers eight units with six one-bedroom units; two two-bedroom, two-bath units and one two-bedroom, two-bath specifically designed to accommodate those with a disability. The units are for the school district employees only and rent will be based on a sliding scale to keep costs at 30% of the tenant’s income. The project started two years ago and ran into delays due to broader infrastructure issues. The project was budgeted at $5.3 million and has stayed within these parameters with landscaping to follow this spring. Source: The McCall Star-News

Ground breakings

• Ada County broke ground on the new park in Garden City at Expo Idaho. The $32 million dollar project is funded by American Rescue Plan funding and must be completed by 2026. The park is designed on 50 acres to include trails, open spaces, a skate park and a natural play area for children. It is being compared to New York City’s Central Park and estimate its influence over the next 50 years will be considerable. The Western Idaho Fair will continue in the same space as the last 58 years. Source: Boise State Public Radio

• Canyon County and Caldwell officials celebrated the groundbreaking of a new sheriff’s administration building in Caldwell. The new 82,866 square foot building has three stories and will house between 120 and 130 employees of departments including emergency operations, dispatch centers, pretrial and alternative sentencing services, the public records division along with training and meeting rooms for law enforcement personnel across the Treasure Valley. The $27.6 million cost is funded by American Rescue Plan Act monies and should be ready for occupancy by March 2026. Source: Idaho Press

Openings

• First Federal Bank, a 100-year-old mutual bank, opened a new branch in downtown Nampa – its 14th Idaho bank branch. The financial institution entered the Treasure Valley 10 years ago with operations based out of Twin Falls. A mutual bank is owned by its depositors and reinvests in the community. Source: Idaho Business Review

• The Griddle opened its fifth Idaho restaurant at the former Gino’s Italian Ristorante in Meridian. It has one other Meridian restaurant, in addition to eateries in Boise, Nampa and Eagle. Source: Idaho Statesman

• A virtual reality arcade opened in Meridian’s former Furniture Outfitters building. VR1 Arcade offers a new concept of gaming, as well as the payment method of a daily pass, rather than charging for each game. There is access to thousands of games plus the arcade can hold up to 84 people. There is also an in-house restaurant offering burgers and refreshments. On average, guests stay at the arcade for four to five hours. Source: Idaho Statesman

• Big Bun Drive-In opened a second restaurant at the previous Carl’s Jr. location in Garden City. It distributed free milkshakes on its first Saturday in operation to celebrate the opening. Source: Idaho Statesman

• Caldwell has its first Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop. It celebrated its grand opening with giveaways and different deals throughout the month of January. Source: Idaho Statesman

• Mazzah Mediterranean Grill opened within the auspices of Boise’s downtown Warehouse Food Hall. The Warehouse is now at capacity with 16 food and beverage choices. Source: Idaho Business Review

• Pueblo Lindo opened a family-style Mexican restaurant in Eagle. The location has been vacant since 2023 after Holy Cow Idaho lasted a year in the former Buster’s Sports Bar & Grill space. This is its third location with other restaurants in Meridian and McCall. Source: Idaho Statesman

• Americana Pizza — known for its popular New York style pizza — opened its second Boise restaurant in the former Cucina di Paolo building. The building is known for the signage that includes a laundry woman and her wash basin that originally attracted customers to a laundromat in the 1950’s. Temporarily, the new owners have dressed her in a ninja turtle costume. Source: Idaho Statesman

Closures

• Kohl’s announced the closing of its store in the Boise Town Square Mall. The Meridian and Nampa stores will remain open. Employees have been informed of their severance packages or if they can move to a different store or position within the company, according to a company news release. Source: Idaho Statesman

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This Idaho Department of Labor project is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor for SFY25 as part of the Workforce Information grant (40%) and state/nonfederal funds (60%) totaling $885,703.

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