Regional labor market information
- Labor force estimates for March 2025 from the Idaho Department of Labor’s Local Area Unemployment Statistics had total employment and total unemployment increasing in the seven-county southeastern region. Seasonally adjusted, March’s preliminary estimates have labor force participants increasing by 180 people, with 33 more employed people and 147 more unemployed people. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is 3.7%, a 0.2% increase from February 2025 and March 2024.
| Southeastern Idaho, seasonally adjusted data | Mar-25 (P) | Feb-25 (R) | Mar-24 (B) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civilian labor force | 87,471 | 87,291 | 86,295 |
| Total employment | 84,255 | 84,222 | 83,234 |
| Unemployment | 3,216 | 3,069 | 3,061 |
| % of labor force unemployed | 3.7% | 3.5% | 3.5% |
| Source: Idaho Department of Labor | P – Preliminary, R – Revised, B – Benchmarked | ||
- In March 2025 there were 1,520 unique online job postings in the southeastern Idaho labor market area, which decreased 5.6% from the prior month at 1,439 postings and 4.7% over the year at 1,452 postings. The median job posting duration was 29 days, a decrease of six days from February and an increase of three days from March 2024.
| Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in southeastern Idaho | Postings, Mar-25 | Postings, Mar-24 |
|---|---|---|
| Registered nurses | 69 | 65 |
| Farmworkers, laborers, crop, nursery and greenhouse | 66 | 4 |
| Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers | 46 | 51 |
| Retail salespersons | 41 | 74 |
| Merchandise displayers and window trimmers | 38 | 14 |
| First-line supervisors of retail sales workers | 32 | 32 |
| Maintenance, repair workers and general | 27 | 23 |
| Laborers, freight, stock, material movers and hand | 26 | 25 |
| Customer service representatives | 25 | 30 |
| General and operations manager | 23 | 15 |
| Source: Conference Board data via Lightcast |
- The top occupational families by unique online job postings in southeastern Idaho for March were health care, sales and management. Among specific occupations, were registered nurses (69), farmworkers (66) and truck drivers (46). Farmworkers continued to increase year over year, as the region experienced higher average temperatures and less snowfall than last year.
| Top 10 industries by unique job postings in southeastern Idaho | Postings, Mar-25 | Postings, Mar-24 |
|---|---|---|
| General medical and surgical hospitals | 143 | 160 |
| Direct health and medical insurance carriers | 69 | 57 |
| Engineering services | 67 | 10 |
| Other general government support | 57 | 25 |
| College, universities and professional schools | 54 | 56 |
| Supermarkets and other grocery retailers (except convenience retailers) | 38 | 19 |
| Frozen fruit, juice and vegetable manufacturing | 35 | 18 |
| Limited-service restaurants | 29 | 21 |
| Commercial and institutional building construction | 27 | 34 |
| Other snack food manufacturing | 27 | 6 |
| Source: Conference Board data via Lightcast |
- Health care, social assistance, retail, trade and manufacturing are at the top of broadly defined industries by unique online job postings in March. This includes general medical and surgical hospitals, supermarkets, frozen fruit and vegetable manufacturing. Engineering postings increased substantially year over year as did snack foods and government support. Colleges and commercial construction saw a small decrease in postings year over year along with hospitals which decreased by 17 postings. Yet again, this small decrease was not enough to change hospitals from their rank as the top hiring industry in the region.
| Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in southeastern Idaho | Median duration, Mar-25 | Unique postings, Mar-25 |
|---|---|---|
| Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers | 59 | 7 |
| Buyers and purchasing agents | 57 | 1 |
| Pharmacy technicians | 57 | 11 |
| Water, wastewater treatment plants and system operators | 57 | 4 |
| First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers and repairers | 56 | 7 |
| Community, social service specialists and all other | 56 | 6 |
| Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants | 54 | 1 |
| Insurance sales agents | 52 | 1 |
| Financial examiners | 52 | 1 |
| First-line supervisors of production and operating workers | 51 | 8 |
| Source: Conference Board data via Lightcast |
- Based on the hiring challenges by median number of days an occupational job posting is listed, mining engineers (59), purchasing agents (57), pharmacy technicians (57) and wastewater treatment operators (57) stood out. Of these top hardest-to-fill occupations, none of them were in the top 10 for most in demand.
| County housing data, March 2025 | Median listing price | Month over month price change | Median days on the market | Active listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bannock | $410,000 | 4.61% | 64 | 239 |
| Bear Lake | $599,000 | 45.83% | 59 | 49 |
| Bingham | $452,500 | 4.03% | 71 | 108 |
| Caribou | $417,500 | -3.91% | 52 | 28 |
| Franklin | $550,000 | -3.17% | 68 | 46 |
| Oneida | $359,000 | -12.69% | 150 | 16 |
| Power | $415,000 | 9.07% | 66 | 25 |
| Source: Realtor.com Economic Research | ||||
- In March, the biggest upward trend in prices came from Bear Lake County at a 46% median price increase since last month. This is because the county was at the lower end of market duration indicating a hotter market. The county with the longest median time on the market and lowest listing price was Oneida County at 150 days. Caribou County had the lowest median of 52 days on the market.
Regional news
Bannock County
- Idaho Central Credit Union held a groundbreaking for its Union Field House at the Mountain View Event Center. The fieldhouse will be a place for people to practice indoor soccer, baseball or lacrosse thanks to a $4,000,000 grant from the credit union. Source: Idaho State Journal
- The Chubbuck Fire Department unveiled a new ladder truck thanks to a $500,000 grant from Idaho Central Credit Union. The new ladder can extend 100 feet and has a basket at the top to carry people up and down. Source: East Idaho News
- Idaho State University (ISU) continued its third year in a row for enrollment growth as it experienced a 2.9% increase year over year for its spring semester at 11,000 students. This is the largest undergraduate enrollment increase since Spring 2016. Source: ISU News
- Zoo Idaho of Pocatello opened its doors for the 2025 season. Source: KIFI News
- Big O Tires has been reopened as Sparks Tire Pros under the new ownership of Isabel Luna, a longtime employee. Source KPVI News
- Advantage Plus Federal Credit Union provided new scoreboards for the middle schools of the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25. Source: KPVI News
Bear Lake County
- The Grounded Goat, a goat yoga studio, will be opening in Bear Lake Valley. Owner, Shelly Longfellow, will offer patrons the chance to experience yoga among goats — a viral internet trend. Source: The News Examiner
Bingham County
- Homestead Family Restaurant, open since 1989, closed its doors in late March. Source: East Idaho News
- Shoshone Bannock Tribal Fish and Game and the Fish and Wildlife Department reopened Interstate 15 after moving 120 elk. This comes as the herd ventured too close between exit 80 and 89, causing 50 elk to be hit and interrupting transit. Traffic was diverted to Highway 91 during the operation. Source: East Idaho News
Caribou County
- Work is progressing at the Caribou County Event Center. The $3,800,000 project will not only serve as a showroom during the county fair, but will also serve as a youth development, emergency medical services and firefighter hub during the off season. Source: East Idaho News
Franklin County
- Fades Barbershop opened in Preston on 30 S. State Street. Owner, Shailyn Garner, earned her barber license 15 years ago and hopes to provide affordable haircuts to Franklin and Cache County. Source: The Preston Citizen
Oneida County
- Exit 13 Antiques of Malad held a spring antique show. Source: The Idaho Enterprise
- The Nell J. Redfield Memorial Hospital hosted an Evening of the Arts fundraiser. Bidding opened for baskets assembled by local businesses to finance renovations and equipment for the hospital. Ahead of the event, Rocky Mountain Power gave a $5,000 grant for a new freezer for the hospital kitchen. Source: The Idaho Enterprise
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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