Labor Force Statistics

Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS)

Idaho’s unemployment rate at 3.7% in November

Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in November was 3.7%. This rate matches the 3.7% unemployment rate published in September. October labor force data was not available due to the federal government shutdown.

November’s labor force was 1,011,367 while the labor force participation rate – the percentage of people 16 years or older who are either employed or looking for work – was at 62.9%. Total employment was 974,410 and unemployment was 36,957.

Continue reading this month’s rate release. (1/7/2026)

State data and average annual rates

January 2024 through November 2025

Updated 1/7/2026

2025 Revised and preliminary data

Updated 1/7/2026

2025 Preliminary monthly county data

2024 Labor force data benchmarked

What is the LAUS program?

The LAUS program is a federal-state cooperative venture that counts the number of people working — not jobs — by where they live. The data collected include individuals either working or actively seeking work during any part of the week that includes the 12th of the month. The results are used to develop monthly estimates of labor force statistics — the number of people employed, unemployed and the unemployment rate — at the state, county and labor market area levels and for selected cities.

Data and tools