Regional labor market information
- Labor force estimates for June 2025 from the Idaho Department of Labor’s Local Area Unemployment Statistics have total over-the-month employment marginally decreasing and unemployment increasing in the nine-county eastern region. Seasonally adjusted, June preliminary estimates have labor force participants increasing by 111 people, with two fewer employed people and 113 more unemployed people. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the region remained unchanged at 3.2% since last month and 0.1 percentage points lower than June 2024.
| Eastern Idaho, seasonally adjusted data | Jun-25 (P) | May-25 (P) | Jun-24 (B) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civilian labor force | 132,016 | 131,905 | 134,639 |
| Total employment | 127,732 | 127,734 | 130,239 |
| Unemployment | 4,284 | 4,171 | 4,400 |
| % of labor force unemployed | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.3 |
| P – Preliminary, R – Revised, B – Benchmarked Source: Idaho Department of Labor |
|||
- There were an estimated 3,961 deduplicated job postings in the eastern Idaho labor market for June 2025, according to The Conference Board: Help Wanted Online. (This is regional online job postings data and not necessarily job openings data.) The postings are a 38% increase from 2,446 the prior month and a 35% increase from 2,554 year over year.
- Hand laborers, freight, stock and material movers replaced customer service representatives in the top five of unique job postings in the region for June. Radiologic technologists and technicians, personal care aides and diagnostic medical sonographers were also new to the top occupations by quantity of job postings in June. Employer hiring demand, based on quantity of job postings, increased 46% for registered nurses, 35% for merchandise displayers and window trimmers, 23% for retail sales supervisors, 22% for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers and 21% for customer service representatives. There were no decreases in hiring demand for any of the top occupations since last month.
| Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in eastern Idaho, June 2025 | Postings |
|---|---|
| Registered nurses | 157 |
| Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers | 139 |
| Retail salespersons | 133 |
| First-line supervisors of retail service workers | 79 |
| Hand laborers, freight, stock and material movers | 76 |
| Merchandise displayers and window trimmers | 65 |
| Radiologic technologists and technicians | 65 |
| Personal care aides | 63 |
| Customer service representatives | 62 |
| Diagnostic medical sonographers | 61 |
| Source: Conference Board data via Lightcast | |
- Administrative support, waste management, remediation services and wholesale trade replaced retail trade and educational services in the top five regional industries by quantity of job postings for June.
- Hiring demand based on total unique job postings increased over the month in the following industries: 120% in accommodation and food services, 43% in health care and social assistance, 42% in finance and insurance, 41% in construction, 37% in real estate (including rental and leasing), 35% in retail trade and 26% in manufacturing. Hiring demand, based on total unique job postings, decreased by 5% in the professional, scientific and technical services industries.
| Top industries by job unique postings in eastern Idaho, June 2025 | Postings |
|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 606 |
| Retail trade | 420 |
| Administrative, support waste management and remediation services | 370 |
| Wholesale trade | 280 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 274 |
| Educational services | 271 |
| Manufacturing | 238 |
| Construction | 198 |
| Accommodation and food services | 152 |
| Finance and insurance | 105 |
| Real estate, rental and leasing | 96 |
| Source: Conference Board data via Lightcast |
- Hardest-to-fill occupations in the eastern Idaho region for June, by highest median job posting duration and multiple unique job postings, included customer service representatives, secondary school teachers, stockers and order fillers, hand laborers and material mover supervisors. Hardest-to-fill job posting challenges in June by occupational family were in installation, maintenance and repair, as well as transportation and material moving. All occupations added to the hardest-to-fill jobs list in June were new, except construction laborers, stockers and order fillers. These occupations were carryovers from the prior month.
| Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in eastern Idaho, June 2025 | Days to fill | Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Secondary school teachers | 55 | 45 |
| First-line supervisors of helpers, hand laborers and material movers | 55 | 23 |
| Nuclear engineers | 49 | 22 |
| Customer service representatives | 44 | 62 |
| First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers | 37 | 30 |
| Crop, nursery, greenhouse farmworkers and laborers | 36 | 25 |
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics | 36 | 25 |
| Construction laborers | 34 | 23 |
| Stockers and order fillers | 33 | 47 |
| General maintenance and repair workers | 32 | 31 |
| Source: Conference Board data via Lightcast |
Regional news
- The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) will serve as chief digital officer for a new national SMART USA (Semiconductor Manufacturing and Advanced Research with Twins USA Institute). The project aims to enhance domestic computer chip (semiconductor) manufacturing. INL was tapped for its expertise in digital twinning, high-performance computing, digital engineering, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing. Source: KIFI
- The College of Eastern Idaho (CEI) began its inaugural Peace Officer Standards and Training Patrol Academy for its first recruits. The 18-week program is designed to expand workforce training, including firearms safety, emergency vehicle operations, physical training and arrest techniques. Source: CEI
- The Wyoming Department of Transportation completed final paving for the reopening of Highway 22, connecting Teton Valley, Idaho Highway 33 to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Just over a year ago, the Teton Pass thoroughfare catastrophically failed due to a landslide, affecting key commuter and tourist connections between the two communities. Experts say it is rebuilt to last 75 years. Source: Buckrail
- Idaho State University and the College of Eastern Idaho announced an updated partnership to improve accessible pathways in high-demand fields, including education, engineering, business, health sciences, nursing and associate and bachelor’s degree programs. Credit transfer equivalencies are also included in the partnership. Source: Post Register
- Yellowstone National Park hosted 928,250 recreation visits in June, an increase of 1% from June 2024 and a 1% decrease from June 2021, the busiest year on record. Year to date, the park has hosted over 1.69 million visits, this is a 4% increase from last year and an increase of 6% from 2021. Source: National Park Service
- The newly paved 22-mile Yale-Kilgore Road was completed. It connects Clark and Fremont counties to Caribou-Targhee National Forest, including Island Park, for recreation, hunting and fishing. The project also meets travel safety and commercial needs due to the popularity of the area. Source: U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration
- Alturas Academy, including three schools in eastern Idaho, is receiving new grant funding to pay for school resource officers. The Idaho Legislature and the Millennium Fund awarded it to 21 state education agencies for three years. Source: KIFI
- Idaho Falls hosted the 22nd International Sport Fly Fishing Federation World Youth Championship. Competitors from 12 nations competed at Snake River-Henry’s Fork, Hebgen Lake, Warm River, Sheridan Lake and Grey’s River venues. Source: Post Register
Bonneville County
- The new multi-sport Odyssey Athletics Training Facility opened in Idaho Falls. Source: East Idaho News
- A year-round brick and mortar fireworks store, Neon Boom Fireworks, opened in Idaho Falls. Source: East Idaho News
- A new beverage shop, The Soda Barn, opened in Idaho Falls. Source: Post Register
- Stella’s Ice Cream, based in Boise, is opening a location in Idaho Falls, bringing the total number of locations for Stella’s to ten. Source: Post Register
- A new private dog park and taphouse, Hops N’ Paws, opened in Idaho Falls. Source: East Idaho News
- The Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce announced ribbon cuttings and/or groundbreaking ceremonies at The Soda Barn and Tagg-N-Go Car Wash. These establishments either opened their doors within the past six months, moved to a new location due to expansion, or have remodeled or expanded their current location. Source: Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce
Clark County
- The Goat Locker Bar & Grill and Sweet Tooth Sip & Scoop shop both opened in Dubois. Source: East Idaho News
- The recently restored Silver Sage Square commercial space in downtown Dubois will house a bakery, craft store and two restaurants. Source: East Idaho News
Fremont County
- About 300 patrons attended the Henry’s Fork Wildlife Alliance festival at Harriman State Park in Island Park. The event helped the community learn about local wildlife and local citizen conservation groups at the Upper Henry’s Fork Watershed. Source: Henry’s Fork Wildlife Alliance
- The city of St. Anthony hired Merrick Company that specializes in helping municipalities improve their waterways. Upgrades at the river sand bar will change the existing features to attract more visitors downtown for kayaking, surfing, fishing and swimming. Fun Farm and Del Rio Bridges were also discussed for upgrades. Source: Rexburg Standard Journal
Lemhi County
- Salmon will have a new preschool through eighth grade school building next year after a $20 million approved bond. Financing the $29 million facility also includes donations, state funds, sponsorships and real estate sales. Source: Idaho Capital Sun
- Fernwaters Public Charter School in Salmon received a $3.5 million federal loan for a permanent K-8 campus, which will include an auditorium. Source: Idaho Education News
- Exploratory drilling at Revival Gold’s Beartrack-Arnett gold project will begin this summer. Drilling is planned for targets south of the Joss area. Source: Challis Messenger
Madison County
- A new take-out restaurant, Buffalo Wild Wings GO, opened in Rexburg. Source: East Idaho News
- Rexburg Chamber of Commerce announced groundbreakings and ribbon cuttings for Altura Community Consulting & Business Finance, Twisted Sugar, Wind River Insurance, Curry Pizza and Executive Networking Referral Group. Source: Rexburg Chamber of Commerce
Eastern Idaho residential real estate statistics – June 2024 and June 2025
- The most significant extremes in home price changes over the year in the eastern region are Teton County with a 47% increase and Lemhi County with a 23% decrease. There are 261 more homes listed than June 2024, regionally. This includes inventory increases of 42% in Bonneville County, 66% in Jefferson County and 20% in Madison County. The increased supply of homes in the market, however, has not been conducive to lower overall prices, which doesn’t necessarily tilt in either the buyer market’s or seller market’s favor. Also, homes are staying on the market a week longer on average than June 2024 (at 63 days). The quantity of homes under contract is nearly equal to what it was in June 2024 for the region.
| Median price sold | Jun-25 | Jun-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonneville | $469,000 | $489,900 | -4.3% |
| Butte | $299,900 | $257,500 | 16.5% |
| Clark | $283,500 | $255,750 | 10.9% |
| Custer | $699,700 | $649,000 | 7.8% |
| Fremont | $719,950 | $652,500 | 10.3% |
| Jefferson | $527,500 | $560,000 | -5.8% |
| Lemhi | $497,500 | $649,500 | -23.4% |
| Madison | $460,000 | $430,000 | 7.0% |
| Teton | $955,500 | $650,000 | 47.0% |
| Source: RDC Inventory Core Metrics | |||
| Active listings (inventory) | Jun-25 | Jun-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonneville | 488 | 343 | 42.3% |
| Butte | 14 | 15 | -6.7% |
| Clark | 3 | 2 | 50.0% |
| Custer | 43 | 36 | 19.4% |
| Fremont | 139 | 149 | -6.7% |
| Jefferson | 121 | 73 | 65.8% |
| Lemhi | 69 | 46 | 50.0% |
| Madison | 120 | 100 | 20.0% |
| Teton | 182 | 151 | 20.5% |
| Source: RDC Inventory Core Metrics | #Colspan# | #Colspan# | #Colspan# |
| Median days on market | Jun-25 | Jun-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonneville | 46 | 38 | 21.1% |
| Butte | 60 | 77 | -22.1% |
| Clark | 108 | 98 | 10.2% |
| Custer | 63 | 72 | -12.5% |
| Fremont | 48 | 46 | 4.3% |
| Jefferson | 50 | 43 | 16.3% |
| Lemhi | 78 | 45 | 73.3% |
| Madison | 46 | 57 | -19.3% |
| Teton | 68 | 25 | 172.0% |
| Source: RDC Inventory Core Metrics | #Colspan# | #Colspan# | #Colspan# |
| Total homes pending sale | Jun-25 | Jun-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonneville | 181 | 180 | 0.6% |
| Butte | 4 | 5 | -20.0% |
| Clark | 1 | N/A | N/A |
| Custer | 2 | 5 | -60.0% |
| Fremont | 22 | 20 | 10.0% |
| Jefferson | 50 | 45 | 11.1% |
| Lemhi | 8 | 11 | -27.3% |
| Madison | 38 | 30 | 26.7% |
| Teton | 36 | 93 | -61.3% |
| Source: RDC Inventory Core Metrics | |||
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.
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.