Regional labor market information
- Labor force estimates for May 2025 from the Idaho Department of Labor’s Local Area Unemployment Statistics have both total over-the-month employment and unemployment decreasing in the nine-county eastern region. Seasonally adjusted, May preliminary estimates have labor force participants decreasing by 1,636 people, with 1,463 fewer employed people and 176 fewer unemployed people. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the region decreased to 3.2% since last month and 0.1 percentage points higher than May 2024.
| Eastern Idaho, seasonally adjusted data | May-25 (P) | Apr-25 (P) | May-24 (B) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civilian labor force | 131,657 | 133,293 | 134,559 |
| Total employment | 127,473 | 128,936 | 130,359 |
| Unemployment | 4,184 | 4,357 | 4,200 |
| % of labor force unemployed | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.1 |
| P – Preliminary, R – Revised, B – Benchmarked Source: Idaho Department of Labor |
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- There were an estimated 2,446 deduplicated job postings in the eastern Idaho labor market for May 2025, according to The Conference Board: Help Wanted Online. (This is regional online job postings data and not necessarily job openings data.) The 2,446 postings are an 18% decrease from 2,998 the prior month, but a 21% increase from 1,938 year-over-year. There was no change in the top five of unique job postings in the region for May. New to the top occupations by quantity of job postings in May were education administrators and driver sales workers. Employer hiring demand, based on quantity of job postings, increased 10% for retail sales supervisors. Hiring demand decreased for all other occupations since last month.
| Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in eastern Idaho, April 2025 | Postings |
|---|---|
| Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers | 108 |
| Registered salespersons | 95 |
| Registered nurses | 85 |
| First-line supervisors of retail service workers | 61 |
| Customer service representatives | 49 |
| Merchandise displayers and window trimmers | 42 |
| Secondary school teachers | 40 |
| Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary | 40 |
| Coaches and scouts | 36 |
| Driver sales workers | 36 |
| Source: Conference Board data via Lightcast | |
- Manufacturing replaced administrative support, waste management and remediation services in the top five regional industries by quantity of job postings for May. Hiring demand based on total unique job postings increased over the month by 3% in the health care and social assistance industry. Hiring demand, based on total job postings, decreased across the board in all other top industries by unique job postings.
| Top industries by job unique postings in eastern Idaho, May 2025 | Postings |
|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 346 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 288 |
| Retail trade | 272 |
| Educational services | 272 |
| Manufacturing | 175 |
| Wholesale trade | 145 |
| Construction | 117 |
| Public administration | 86 |
| Accommodation and food services | 69 |
| Finance and insurance | 61 |
| Real estate, rental and leasing | 60 |
| Source: Conference Board data via Lightcast |
- Hardest-to-fill occupations in the eastern Idaho region for May, by highest median job posting duration and multiple unique job postings, included coaches, scouts, driver sales workers and project management specialists. The hardest-to-fill job posting challenges in May by occupational family were in construction. Occupations added to the hardest-to-fill jobs list in May were software developers, construction laborers, driver sales workers, secretaries, administrative assistants and project management specialists.
| Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in eastern Idaho, May 2025 | Days to fill | Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Occupational health and safety specialists | 48 | 12 |
| Software developers | 42 | 12 |
| Civil engineers | 41 | 17 |
| Stockers and order fillers | 37 | 25 |
| Coaches and scouts | 36 | 36 |
| Operating engineers and construction equipment operators | 36 | 17 |
| Construction laborers | 36 | 14 |
| Driver sales workers | 34 | 36 |
| Secretaries and administrative assistants | 34 | 20 |
| Project management specialists | 33 | 32 |
| Source: Conference Board data via Lightcast |
Regional news
- The following programs or majors at Brigham Young University-Idaho (BYU) are under review for potential restructure: finance, visual and performing arts, human development and education. (Specifically special education and secondary education.) Changes to programs or majors will not affect current students. Source: BYU-Idaho Scroll
- Yellowstone National Park visitation for May shows an 8% increase compared to May 2024. May had the busiest on record, with 566,363 guests. Year to date, the park has hosted 762,672 visitors, an increase of 6% from last year and an increase of 17% from 2021. Source: National Park Service
- The University of Idaho (UI) Extension Forestry program made educational outreach and recruitment efforts in eastern Idaho to agriculture students and trained Future Farmers of America Forestry Competition teams. They also facilitated the Eastern Idaho Forestry Field Days for urban-wildland homeowners on how to protect their properties. A seminar was also given on logging, which was once central to the region’s economy, but few sawmills remain. Source: UI Extension
- Brigham Young University-Idaho (BYU-I) reported enrollment increases of 2.2% for fall, 5.5% for winter and 2% for spring semesters. Current total enrollment is over 17,000 campus-based students and an estimated 14,700 students living in Rexburg this semester. Source: BYU-Idaho
Bonneville County
- Riverbend Management, Inc. has four new tenants opening businesses in their Idaho Falls commercial development: Marco’s Pizza, Stella’s Ice Cream, Soda Barn and Fit 1 Gym. Source: East Idaho News
- The new Black Feather Apartments in Idaho Falls began leasing 156 units of affordable housing. Source: Post Register
- The Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce announced ribbon cuttings and/or groundbreaking ceremonies at Teton Auto Credit, Idaho Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and Idaho Trust Company. 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
Jefferson County
- The 12,000-square-foot Hub in Rigby is opening with 11 commercial tenants, including Rigby’s Patty Shack, Lucy’s New York Style Pizza and Luxe Beauty Lounge. Source: East Idaho News
- A new photography studio, Design DNA, opened in Rigby. Source: Jefferson Star
- HMH Engineering opened a new location in Rigby. Source: Jefferson Star
Lemhi County
- Idaho Cobalt Operations mining project is now owned by New JRV Topco Holdings, doing business as NewCo, after Jervois filed for bankruptcy. Source: Challis Messenger
Madison County
- The Graze Café opened in Rexburg. Source: East Idaho News
- Rexburg Chamber of Commerce announced the Altura Community Consulting & Business Finance groundbreaking and ribbon cuttings for Wind River Insurance, Curry Pizza and Executive Networking Referral Group. Source: Rexburg Chamber of Commerce
- Rexburg City Council approved the purchase of five acres for a new $1.3 million police station. Source: Rexburg Standard Journal
Teton County
- A new gym, Modular Training, opened in Victor. The gym’s open house included a block party hosted by several neighboring businesses. Source: Jackson Hole News & Guide
- Teton Valley Rotary donated $38,000 in scholarships to local high school seniors. Source: Teton Valley News
Eastern Idaho residential real estate statistics – May 2024 and May 2025
- The past 14 years, housing demand has skyrocketed statewide, with Jefferson and Teton counties the only non-urban counties in the state to help meet this demand, with housing unit supply growth of over 25%. The most recent regional housing supply statistics are also true to this theme with year-over-year inventory increases in these same rural counties: 72% in Jefferson County and 75% in Teton County. The region’s only urban counties, Madison and Bonneville, reported an over-the-year housing inventory increase of 10% and 43%, respectively. Median home prices have mostly held steady from what they were a year ago, regionwide.
| Median price sold | May-25 | May-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonneville | $471,000 | $480,000 | -1.9% |
| Butte | $307,450 | $227,250 | 35.3% |
| Clark | $342,000 | $240,000 | 42.5% |
| Custer | $570,000 | $618,700 | -7.9% |
| Fremont | $705,000 | $671,000 | 5.1% |
| Jefferson | $488,000 | $597,000 | -18.3% |
| Lemhi | $487,500 | $639,500 | -23.8% |
| Madison | $499,450 | $449,700 | 11.1% |
| Teton | $895,000 | $921,000 | -2.8% |
| Source: RDC Inventory Core Metrics | |||
| Active listings (inventory) | May-25 | May-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonneville | 436 | 304 | 43.4% |
| Butte | 13 | 16 | -18.8% |
| Clark | 2 | 1 | 100.0% |
| Custer | 32 | 37 | -13.5% |
| Fremont | 113 | 112 | 0.9% |
| Jefferson | 115 | 67 | 71.6% |
| Lemhi | 62 | 39 | 59.0% |
| Madison | 99 | 90 | 10.0% |
| Teton | 149 | 85 | 75.3% |
| Source: RDC Inventory Core Metrics | #Colspan# | #Colspan# | #Colspan# |
| Median days on market | May-25 | May-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonneville | 36 | 33 | 9.1% |
| Butte | 43 | 84 | -48.8% |
| Clark | 61 | 24 | 154.2% |
| Custer | 81 | 127 | -36.2% |
| Fremont | 48 | 54 | -11.1% |
| Jefferson | 45 | 45 | 0.0% |
| Lemhi | 84 | 47 | 78.7% |
| Madison | 47 | 51 | -7.8% |
| Teton | 67 | 49 | 36.7% |
| Source: RDC Inventory Core Metrics | #Colspan# | #Colspan# | #Colspan# |
| Total homes pending sale | May-25 | May-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonneville | 200 | 176 | 13.6% |
| Butte | 3 | 4 | -25.0% |
| Clark | 1 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Custer | 5 | 5 | 0.0% |
| Fremont | 17 | 13 | 30.8% |
| Jefferson | 42 | 51 | -17.6% |
| Lemhi | 9 | 7 | 28.6% |
| Madison | 40 | 28 | 42.9% |
| Teton | 27 | 79 | -65.8% |
| 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.
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