Regional labor market information
- Labor force estimates for March 2025 from the Idaho Department of Labor’s Local Area Unemployment Statistics have total over-the-month employment decreasing with unemployment increasing in the nine-county eastern region. Seasonally adjusted, March preliminary estimates have labor force participants increasing by 86, with 298 fewer employed people and 384 more unemployed people. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the region increased to 3.4% since last month, 0.2 percentage points higher than February 2024.
| Eastern Idaho, seasonally adjusted data | Mar-25 (P) | Feb-25 (P) | Mar-24 (B) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civilian labor force | 131,942 | 131,856 | 133,623 |
| Total employment | 127,399 | 127,697 | 129,360 |
| Unemployment | 4,543 | 4,159 | 4,263 |
| % of labor force unemployed | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.2 |
| P – Preliminary, R – Revised, B – Benchmarked Source: Idaho Department of Labor |
|||
- There were an estimated 2,995 deduplicated job postings in the eastern Idaho labor market for March 2025, according to The Conference Board: Help Wanted Online. (This is regional online job postings data and not necessarily job openings data.) The 2,995 postings are a 0.7% decrease from 3,014 the prior month and a 14% increase from 2,584 year-over-year. Heavy and tractor-truck drivers replaced registered nurses in the top spot of unique job postings in the region for March. New to the top occupations by quantity of job postings this month were project management specialists. Employer hiring demand based on quantity of job postings increased 27% for truck drivers and 16% for civil engineers, then decreased 22% for registered nurses and 12% for farmworkers since last month.
| Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in eastern Idaho, March 2025 | Postings |
|---|---|
| Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers | 135 |
| Registered nurses | 103 |
| Crop, nursery, greenhouse farmworkers and laborers | 76 |
| Retail salespersons | 75 |
| Customer service representatives | 62 |
| Physical therapists | 58 |
| First-line supervisors of retail sales workers | 47 |
| Civil engineers | 44 |
| Project management specialists | 37 |
| Merchandise displayers and window trimmers | 37 |
| Source: Conference Board data via Lightcast | |
- Educational services replaced finance and insurance in the top five regional industries by quantity of job postings in March. Hiring demand based on total unique job postings increased over the month at 32% for educational services, 19% for accommodation and food service, 14% for administrative support and waste management, 12% for manufacturing and 5% for wholesale trade in the top industry categories. Hiring demand based on job postings decreased 68% in finance and insurance, 8% in public administration, 7% in health care and social assistance and 6% in professional, scientific and technical industries.
| Top industries by job unique postings in eastern Idaho, March 2025 | Postings |
|---|---|
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 341 |
| Health care and social assistance | 332 |
| Retail trade | 284 |
| Administrative, support, waste management and remediation services | 258 |
| Educational services | 238 |
| Manufacturing | 233 |
| Wholesale trade | 166 |
| Construction | 134 |
| Finance and insurance | 93 |
| Public administration | 77 |
| Accommodation and food services | 74 |
| Utilities | 64 |
| Source: Conference Board data via Lightcast |
- March hardest-to-fill occupations in eastern Idaho, by highest median job posting duration and multiple unique job postings, included customer service representatives, general and operations managers and sales representatives. Hardest-to-fill job posting challenges in March by occupational family were management and sales and related. All occupations except fishing and hunting workers, nursing assistants and inspectors were new to this month’s hardest-to-fill jobs list.
| Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in eastern Idaho, March 2025 | Days to fill | Postings |
|---|---|---|
| General and operations managers | 53 | 31 |
| Fishing and hunting workers | 46 | 15 |
| Software developers | 42 | 22 |
| Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives | 39 | 30 |
| Nursing assistants | 38 | 22 |
| First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers | 38 | 21 |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers and weighers | 38 | 15 |
| Occupational health and safety specialists | 37 | 18 |
| Customer service representatives | 35 | 62 |
| Accountants and auditors | 34 | 23 |
| Source: Conference Board data via Lightcast |
Regional news
- Yellowstone National Park saw an increase in recreation visits in 2024, making it the second busiest year on record since 1904. Over 4.7 million people visited the park in 2024, a 5.4% increase from 2023. Source: National Park Service
- Idaho National Laboratory partnered with Idaho Power, which operates 17 hydroelectric projects, to analyze the economic and environmental impacts of integrating hydrogen production with hydropower plants. The project is funded by the Department of Energy’s Water Power Technology Office. Source: Idaho National Laboratory
- According to Natural Resources Conservation Services mountain data from SNOTEL, the six runoff basins that comprise eastern Idaho have an average year-to-date mountain snow water equivalent of 107% of median and average year-to-date precipitation of 91% of median. The forecast calls for 94% of average runoff April – July at Upper Snake basin. The entire Upper Snake River reservoir system is at 82% of capacity, which prompted Palisades Reservoir flood-control releases of excess water due to above-normal snowpack. Source: Natural Resources Conservation Services, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Bonneville County
- Gameday Men’s Health clinic opened in Ammon. Source: Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce
- Marco’s Pizza opened a second area restaurant in Idaho Falls. Source: Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce
- Dreamy Denz, a soft play party rental business, opened in Idaho Falls. Source: East Idaho News
- Rally to Rise Physical Therapy opened in Ammon. Source: East Idaho News
- AgeWell Connections, a supportive services establishment for aging customers, opened in Idaho Falls. Source: East Idaho News
- Grand Teton Mall in Idaho Falls will now showcase vendor markets from Idaho and other states. Events by Sydney, a Utah-based event management company, are contracted with the mall as a hub for handmade goods, artisan products, services and unique finds. Source: East Idaho News
- The Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce announced ribbon cutting and/or groundbreaking ceremonies at Young Mazda, Gameday Men’s Health, Marco’s Pizza and CASA. 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
- Idaho Falls Festival of Trees donated $85,000 to Development Workshop Inc., a disability community resource provider. Source: The Post Register
Butte County
- The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality awarded $500,000 in drinking water construction funding to Butte City. Funds are intended to improve the distribution system, including adding valves, hydrants and water meters. Source: East Idaho News
Jefferson County
- The city of Rigby approved final plat and development for Magnolia Estates, a 12-lot subdivision. They also approved five-acre higher-density R-2 zoning for the construction of side-by-side homes by Grover Properties. Source: Jefferson Star
- The Jefferson County Board of Commissioners approved $80,000 from American Rescue Plan Act funds to help West Jefferson Fire District construct a new $870,000 fire station. Source: Jefferson Star
Madison County
- Bargain Treasure Bins, a retailer, opened in Rexburg. Source: East Idaho News
- Sugarbeast, an ice cream and dessert shop, opened in Rexburg. Source: East Idaho News
- Snake River Strings Co. opened a fourth music studio, this time in Rexburg. Source: East Idaho News
- An exotic pet store, Custom Creatures Pet Club, opened in Rexburg. Source: East Idaho News
- Bravo 6, a flight school in Rexburg, has expanded. They now have five planes, multiple instructors, a flight simulator and mechanics. Students can obtain a private pilot’s license, train at the commercial level or train to be a flight instructor. Source: KIFI
Teton County
- The U.S. Forest Service and the Caribou-Targhee National Forest released an environmental impact statement (EIS) for Grand Targhee Resort’s proposed expansion – adjacent public lands would impact recreation, the environment and communities like Victor and Driggs. The EIS identifies four major expansion concerns: impacts to wildlife habitat, backcountry skiing, scenery and socioeconomic issues such as lack of affordable housing. Full expansion of the resort would reportedly increase both winter visitation by 33% and summer visitation by 68% in the next decade, compared to no development, creating over 600 full-time jobs. Source: USDA Forest Service
- The 70-year-old Pierre’s Theatre in Victor is being sold after re-opening four years ago. The seller hopes it will remain open for business as a community space for culture and entertainment. Source: Teton Valley News
- New West purchased 3,000 square feet of business space in Driggs. Source: Idaho Business Review
Eastern Idaho residential real estate statistics – March 2024 and 2025
- Home prices decreased during March by an average of $35,000 in seven of nine counties in the region. The median days eastern Idaho homes are sitting on the market, decreased by an average of five days over the month. Regional pending home sales saw little movement over the month, but a 13% decrease over the year. There has been little change in listings inventory regionwide since February.
| Median price sold | Mar-25 | Mar-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonneville | $425,000 | $460,000 | -7.6% |
| Butte | $217,000 | $240,000 | -9.6% |
| Clark | $280,000 | $240,000 | 16.7% |
| Custer | $570,000 | $487,000 | 17.0% |
| Fremont | $745,000 | $714,000 | 4.3% |
| Jefferson | $510,000 | $562,000 | -9.3% |
| Lemhi | $500,000 | $679,000 | -26.4% |
| Madison | $439,500 | $417,000 | 5.4% |
| Teton | $947,000 | $843,500 | 12.3% |
| Source: RDC Inventory Core Metrics | |||
| Active listings (inventory) | Mar-25 | Mar-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonneville | 341 | 233 | 46.4% |
| Butte | 9 | 14 | -35.7% |
| Clark | 3 | 1 | 200.0% |
| Custer | 25 | 25 | 0.0% |
| Fremont | 71 | 71 | 0.0% |
| Jefferson | 88 | 62 | 41.9% |
| Lemhi | 48 | 29 | 65.5% |
| Madison | 83 | 71 | 16.9% |
| Teton | 107 | 61 | 75.4% |
| Source: RDC Inventory Core Metrics | #Colspan# | #Colspan# | #Colspan# |
| Median days on market | Mar-25 | Mar-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonneville | 49 | 37 | 32.4% |
| Butte | 158 | 136 | 16.2% |
| Clark | 32 | 15 | 113.3% |
| Custer | 163 | 149 | 9.4% |
| Fremont | 127 | 115 | 10.4% |
| Jefferson | 52 | 43 | 20.9% |
| Lemhi | 137 | 151 | -9.3% |
| Madison | 60 | 56 | 7.1% |
| Teton | 67 | 102 | -34.3% |
| Source: RDC Inventory Core Metrics | #Colspan# | #Colspan# | #Colspan# |
| Total homes pending sale | Mar-25 | Mar-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonneville | 169 | 188 | -10.1% |
| Butte | 4 | 3 | 33.3% |
| Clark | 1 | N/A | N/A |
| Custer | 7 | 2 | 250.0% |
| Fremont | 16 | 11 | 45.5% |
| Jefferson | 41 | 34 | 20.6% |
| Lemhi | 5 | 4 | 25.0% |
| Madison | 26 | 24 | 8.3% |
| Teton | 42 | 91 | -53.8% |
| 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.