Regional news

Regional labor market information

Figure 1.

Eastern Idaho, seasonally adjusted data	Dec-25 (P)	Nov-25 (R)	Dec-24 (B)
Civilian labor force	133,045	132,436	136,738
Total employment	128,508	128,198	132,012
Unemployment	4,537	4,238	4,726
Percentage of labor force unemployed	3.4%	3.2%	3.5%
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine	P – Preliminary	R – Revised	B – Benchmarked

• There has been no new monthly labor force data to report. 2026 labor force data will not be released until the 2025 benchmarking process is complete. The next monthly labor force data release is expected to occur in April and May 2026.

Figure 2.

Eastern Idaho job postings	Feb-26	Feb-25
Unique postings	3,947	2,868
Days posted	20	23
Number of employers	926	544
Average hourly wage	$25.05	$31.08
Percentage of postings with advertised wage	39%	37%
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• There were an estimated 3,947 deduplicated job postings in the eastern Idaho labor market for February 2026 (regional online job postings data and not necessarily job openings data). The number of postings is a 1% decrease from 3,976 the prior month and a 38% increase year over year.

Figure 3.

Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in eastern Idaho	Postings, Feb-26	Postings, Feb-25
Registered Nurses	158	123
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	146	115
Retail Salespersons	111	100
Customer Service Representatives	64	60
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General	59	18
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	58	54
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery and Greenhouse	53	81
Personal Care Aides	48	18
Medical and Health Service Managers	47	19
Project Management Specialists	44	29
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Maintenance and Repair Workers; Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery and Greenhouse; and Project Management Specialists replaced Radiologic Technologists and Technicians; Fast Food and Counter Workers and Janitors and Cleaners in the top 10 regional occupations by unique job postings for February. Employer hiring demand, based on quantity of job postings, increased over the month in occupations such as Registered Nurses by 59% and Customer Service Representatives by 47%. Hiring demand decreased for First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers by 21% and Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers by 12%. All other occupations that carried over from last month remained virtually unchanged.

Figure 4.

Top 10 industries by unique job postings in eastern Idaho	Postings, Feb-26	Postings, Feb-25
Health Care and Social Assistance	581	375
Administrative and Support, Waste Management and Remediation Services	444	263
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services	379	370
Retail Trade	350	312
Manufacturing	222	270
Construction	215	123
Finance and Insurance	164	126
Wholesale Trade	155	137
Accommodation and Food Services	151	64
Educational Services	135	159
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• The top five regional industries in February by quantity of job postings remained unchanged over the month. Hiring demand based on total unique job postings increased 13% in Construction, 16% in Manufacturing and 32% in Professional, Scientific and Technical Services industries. There was a decrease by 5% in Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services, 7% in both Health Care and Social Assistance and Retail Trade and 10% in Accommodation and Food Services. 

Figure 5.

Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in eastern Idaho	Median duration (days), Feb-26	Unique postings, Feb-26
Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers	42	28
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing	38	44
Home Health Aides	37	22
Mechanical Engineers	36	20
Laborers and Freight, Stock and Material Movers, Hand	35	37
Civil Engineers	35	20
Electrical Engineers	31	20
Construction Managers	30	29
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers and Weighers	30	26
Patient Representatives	28	33
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Hardest-to-fill occupations in the eastern Idaho region for February, by highest median job posting duration and multiple unique job postings, included Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing; Laborers and Freight, Stock and Material Movers, Hand and Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers.

• Hardest-to-fill job posting challenges in February by occupational family were Architecture and Engineering and Sales and Related. All occupations added to the hardest-to-fill jobs list in February were new, except Patient Representatives.

Regional news

• The Idaho National Laboratory launched the Molten Salt Thermophysical Examination Capability (MSTEC) facility, designed to advance molten salt reactor technology. After five years and $15 million invested, MSTEC will provide critical data to help commercialize safer and more efficient nuclear reactors using liquid fuel salts, supporting industry and research partnerships nationwide. Source: Post Register

• Brigham Young University–Idaho reported continued growth for winter 2026, with on-campus enrollment increasing 5% to 23,708 students and approximately 21,500 living in Rexburg. Including online programs, total enrollment has reached over 50,000 students this semester. Source: East Idaho News

• The College of Eastern Idaho eliminated eight staff positions and reduced three programs due to budget cuts. Source: East Idaho News

• Despite a snow drought in the lower valleys, February precipitation, as reported by Idaho SNOTEL, has snow water equivalent in the Lost, Wood, Henry’s Fork-Teton and Snake (above Palisades) basins ranging from 71%-110% of normal. Henry’s Fork Basin registered the lowest, while Big Lost Basin had the highest. Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture

• The active inventory of homes for sale in eastern Idaho has decreased by 9% over the year. Regionwide home prices have decreased by 2% since this time last year. The quantity of homes under contract is slightly behind where it was last year. Homes for sale regionwide are also staying on the market 22 days longer than they did last year at this time. Many homeowners are opting not to sell presently, and those that choose to sell are having to reduce their asking prices, while waiting longer on buyers to accept offers and go under contract. Source: Realtor.com Inventory Core Metrics

Bonneville County

• Construction is underway on Bingham Healthcare’s newest urgent care and specialty clinic at Lincoln Square in Ammon, slated to open this summer. Source: Post Register

• Construction is delayed on the new Staybridge Suites in Idaho Falls due to a structure fire that damaged the first and second floors. Source: Post Register

• Construction has begun on the Hope Lutheran Church & School in Idaho Falls. The $3 million project is due for completion this fall. Source: East Idaho News

• Wandermind LLC, leased 2,800 square feet of retail space in downtown Idaho Falls. Source: Idaho Business Review

Fremont County

• Fybercom internet has begun installation of fiber throughout St. Anthony. Source: Rexburg Standard Journal

Jefferson County

• The Jefferson County Board of Commissioners approved a preliminary plat for the County Line Crossroads commercial development to create 63 commercial lots on 132 acres of land south of Rigby. Source: Jefferson Star

• In a step to grow into an all-season resort, Kelly Canyon plans to develop 30, two-story rental cabins. A preliminary plat for unit development was approved by the Jefferson County Commissioners. Source: Jefferson Star

• Construction is on pace for Alturas Academy, a free public charter school, to open this fall in Rigby. Source: Jefferson Star

• Ten student entrepreneur finalists at Rigby High School’s Invest Nest competed for $10,000 in prize money for the top three business pitches. First place of $7,000 was awarded to Brayden Hammer, who pitched HSR Adapters, a custom-made adapter for cell phones that attaches to spotting scopes and binoculars. Source: KIFI

Lemhi County

• A second drilling rig arrived at Revival Gold’s Joss site from Major Drilling to accelerate the pace of drilling. A separate company, Drilcor Ltd., recently completed four drill holes at both Joss and Beartrack Arnett. Ongoing analysis will determine future exploration target drilling at another nearby site, Sharkey. Source: Challis Messenger

Madison County

• Mayor Jerry Merrill announced the following new businesses coming to Rexburg: WinCo Foods, The Home Depot, Olive Garden Italian Restaurant, Café Zupas, Jersey Mike’s Subs, Zeppes Pizza and Subs and Shoe Barn. Source: KIFI

Teton County

• County commissioners approved a preliminary plat for the Sweetwater Ranch Subdivision. This expands 18 lots of hangar homes to 44, including direct access to the Driggs-Reed Memorial Airport, pending Federal Aviation Administration and city of Driggs approval for taxiway access. Source: Teton Valley News

• The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and Women’s Professional Rodeo Association will host a first-time event, Ridgeview Pro Rodeo, at the Teton Valley Fairgrounds in Driggs, June 12-13. Teton Ridge Ranch Foundation has funded over $300,000 in upgrades at the Teton Valley Fairgrounds leading up to the event. Source: Jackson Hole News & Guide

• Teton Ridge Ranch Foundation donated $75,000 to Teton County Idaho Search and Rescue for a rapid-response rescue truck. This past year it also donated $500,000 to Teton Valley Heath Care in addition to pledging $1.5 million over three years for the Teton County Sheriff’s Foundation. Source: Jackson Hole News & Guide

• The Teton Regional Land Trust has permanently designated 290 acres of working farmland and wildlife habitat near Driggs, known as Horseshoe Flats, through two donated conservation easements from Three Forks LLC. Source: Teton Valley News

Regional openings

• Seven Sisters Closet Revival opened at Parkwood Plaza in Idaho Falls. It offers vintage clothes and booth space for other vendors.

• Jersey Mike’s Subs is opening a second area restaurant in Idaho Falls.

• Casa Café opened in Idaho Falls.

• Ron’s Tire & Motorsports Point S opened a second Idaho Falls-area shop in Ammon.

• Bingham Healthcare is opening a new urgent care and specialty clinic at Lincoln Square in Ammon.

• Cafe et Amour, a new party venue and restaurant, opened in Rigby.

• Excel Physical Therapy opened in Driggs. Based in Jackson, Wyoming, they have 10 therapists and two other locations.

• Rexburg Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for Beehive Federal Credit Union North Branch.

Regional closings

• Baker Country Market near Salmon is a total loss after a structure fire. The owners have announced plans to rebuild.

• Grocery Outlet Bargain Market in Idaho Falls is permanently shuttering as part of a nationwide series of closures.

• Proud Source Water, a bottler in Mackay, has permanently closed.

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This Idaho Department of Labor project is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor for SFY26 as part of the Workforce Information grant (41%) and state/nonfederal funds (59%) totaling $860,595.

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