Regional news

Regional labor market information

Figure 1.

North central, seasonally adjusted data	Jun-26 (P)	Jun-26 (R)	Jun-25 (B)
Civilian labor force	53,726	55,143	54,248
Total employment	51,643	53,074	52,199
Unemployment	2,083	2,069	2,049
Percentage of labor force unemployed	3.9%	3.8%	3.8%
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine	P – Preliminary	R – Revised	B – Benchmarked

• The region’s unemployment rate of 3.9% in June 2026 was 0.1% higher than both May 2026 and June 2025. The total number of unemployed people held steady while the rate increase was due to a labor force decline – specifically for employed people.

Figure 2.

North central Idaho job postings	Jun-26	Jun-25
Unique postings	2,831	2,553
Days posted	28	24
Number of employers	604	562
Average hourly wage	$27.51	$28.86
Percentage of postings with advertised wage	43%	39%
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Job posting comparability between June 2025 and 2026 is significantly affected by a change in internal processes implemented by Lightcast during mid-2025. Active job postings in the north central region decreased by 4% over May 2026. Compared to statewide job postings, north central postings averaged five more days of median posting duration.

Figure 3.

Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in north central Idaho	Postings, Jun-26	Postings, Jun-25
Registered Nurses	151	198
Retail Salespersons	82	74
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	73	54
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	56	41
Occupational Therapists	49	26
Customer Service Representatives	48	45
Cashiers	46	26
Physical Therapists	41	36
Medical and Health Services Managers	41	32
Nursing Assistants	41	33
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Compared to last month, June’s postings were higher for heavy truck drivers and cashiers while postings declined for physical therapists and home health and personal care aides. Half of the top 10 occupations by number of job listings are healthcare oriented (registered nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, medical and health services managers, as well as nursing assistants).

Figure 4.

Top 10 industries by unique job postings in north central Idaho	Postings, Jun-26	Postings, Jun-25
Healthcare and Social Assistance	431	384
Administrative and Support, Waste Management and Remediation Services	363	527
Retail Trade	229	238
Educational Services	182	228
Finance and Insurance	171	150
Manufacturing	169	111
Accommodation and Food Services	118	167
Transportation and Warehousing	82	62
Wholesale Trade	76	57
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services	74	48
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Active listings in June 2026 decreased for most industries compared to May 2026 with the exception of gains in Finance and Insurance along with Transportation and Warehousing. The transportation and warehousing industry had the longest median posting duration in June 2026 at 37 days.

Figure 5.

Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in north central Idaho	Median duration, Jun-26	Unique postings, Jun-26
Bookkeeping, Accounting and Auditing Clerks	46	21
Medical Assistants	44	19
Nursing Assistants	38	41
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	33	39
Registered Nurses	32	151
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	32	73
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General	32	30
Cashiers	31	46
Speech-Language Pathologists	31	25
Nurse Practitioners	31	22
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• By occupational group, the north central region reported the longest posting within installation/maintenance/repair occupations (at 32 days) and construction and extraction occupations (at 32 days).

Regional news

• The north central region reported 18 average weekly initial unemployment insurance claims and 100 average weekly continuing claims during June 2026. Initial claim volume increased 12% from the previous month and decreased 25% from the 24 average weekly initial claims filed in June 2025. Continuing weekly claim volume in north central during June decreased 29% from May 2026 and 33% from the 150 average weekly claims in June 2025. Statewide, weekly initial claims increased 2% from May 2026 and decreased 22% from June 2025. Statewide continuing claims increased 2% from last month and decreased 8% from June 2025. Source: Idaho Department of Labor

• Six counties in Idaho’s panhandle – including Clearwater, Latah and Nez Perce – received presidential approval for the Major Disaster Declaration following the March 2026 storm that resulted in $5.9 million in regional damage. The approval activates the Public Assistance Program to aid in recovery of critical infrastructure impacted by severe flooding and landslides. Source: Idaho Office of Emergency Management

Idaho County

• During the first six months of 2026, Idaho County single-family home sales increased 7% compared to 2025 as median prices decreased 5% to $388,000. Average days on the market increased slightly from 86 days in 2025 to 90 days for the first half of 2026. Source: Intermountain MLS

Latah County

• Golden Ticket Cinemas took over Village Centre Cinemas in Moscow and Lewiston in July 2026. Golden Ticket Cinemas currently operates in 17 states and this agreement represents the company’s first presence in Idaho. Source: Lewiston Tribune

• The University of Idaho is offering three new artificial intelligence degrees starting in Fall 2026 – a bachelor’s, a master’s of science and a master’s of engineering. Courses can be completed at either the Moscow or Coeur d’Alene campus. Source: University of Idaho

• During the first six months of 2026, Latah County single-family home sales increased 8% compared to 2025 as median prices also increased 5% to $475,000. Days on the market held steady at 41 days. Source: Intermountain MLS

Nez Perce County

• Lewis-Clark State College reported 96% first-time pass rates in 2025 for the National Council Licensure Examination in nursing. That represented the highest pass rate for any public institution bachelor’s of science in nursing programs within Idaho, Washington and Oregon. Source: Lewis-Clark State College

• During the first six months of 2026, Nez Perce County single-family home sales increased 29% compared to 2025 as median prices also increased 6% to $413,500. Days on the market held steady at 61 days. Source: Intermountain MLS

Regional openings

• Trusted Hands Home Services LLC, Lewiston

• Tinsley’s, Orofino

• Kind Brew Coffee, Nezperce

Regional closings

• Freeman Creek Transmission, Orofino

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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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