The local economy of Idaho and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
3.6%
0.0 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Teton County 1.9%, highest Clearwater County 5.6%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,254
+6.2%vs a year ago
867,879 jobs at 100,763 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
18,471
+6.5%this year vs last year
Most in Ada County 5,791, Canyon County 3,651.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
+12,734
+8.1 per 1,000residents
66,881 moved in and 54,147 moved out. Most newcomers came from California.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
Idaho gas price
$4.92
+$1.43vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Nez Perce County $4.54, highest Boise County $5.34. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, Idaho, October 9, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
58K
+1.6%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
710K
+2.9%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (16.1%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$39.2B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$55,254
Highest sector: Management of Companies and Enterprises $114,088.
Per employee per year
Share of Idaho's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 62,035 | $20,826 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 29,047 | $73,368 |
| Employment Services | 21,128 | $44,223 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 16,805 | $64,200 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 15,904 | $34,241 |
| Grocery Stores | 14,343 | $30,729 |
| Services to Buildings and Dwellings | 13,148 | $39,727 |
| Offices of Physicians | 12,415 | $95,977 |
| Individual and Family Services | 11,525 | $29,318 |
| Traveler Accommodation | 11,307 | $29,975 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 11,266 | $114,088 |
| Depository Credit Intermediation | 11,243 | $68,924 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Idaho, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Idaho is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for Idaho, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in Idaho was 3.6% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 3.6% a year earlier. 962,214 people were employed out of a labor force of 998,378. Among its counties, Teton County had the lowest rate (1.9%) and Clearwater County the highest (5.6%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Idaho was $1,254 in Q1 2026, up 6.2% from a year earlier, across 867,879 jobs at 100,763 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 1,887 new homes in Idaho in August 2026 (1,301 single-family and 507 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 13,094, up 6.5% from the same months last year, and 18,471 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Ada County (5,791), Canyon County (3,651), Kootenai County (2,030) over the last 12 months.
Yes. From 2022 to 2023, 66,881 people moved to Idaho and 54,147 moved away, a net gain of 12,734 (+8.1 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from California, Washington, Oregon, and most people who left went to Washington, Utah, California.
Regular gasoline in Idaho averaged $4.92 per gallon on October 9, 2026, up $1.43 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $6.42. Among its counties, Nez Perce County had the lowest regular price ($4.54) and Boise County the highest ($5.34).
Health Care and Social Assistance (114,052 employees), Retail Trade (94,210 employees), Accommodation and Food Services (79,037 employees) were the largest sectors in Idaho in 2023. In all, 58,100 business locations employed 709,721 people at an average pay of $55,254 a year.