Idaho employment by industry
874,283
Jobs covered by unemployment insurance in Idaho, 2025
+1.8% since 2024 (858,504); +16.9% since 2020 (748,123); +31.5% since 2015 (664,792)
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, annual averages. Data period 2025. Published . Newest release as of ; next expected by July 2027.
Average annual employment covered by state unemployment insurance laws, all ownership sectors and industries combined.
Comparison
The latest figure, 2025, is the highest in the series, which begins in 2001.
Idaho's figure is 0.6% of the national figure of 155,732,363.
Among 44 Idaho counties in 2025, Ada County was highest at 295,234 and Clark County lowest at 296.
The largest category in employment by industry is Education and health services at 203,465; next is Trade, transportation, and utilities at 166,991.
Historical data
Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, annual averages.
Data table (36 rows)
| Period | Covered employment (people) | Total nonfarm employment (people) |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | n/a | 385,267 |
| 1991 | n/a | 397,608 |
| 1992 | n/a | 414,433 |
| 1993 | n/a | 433,700 |
| 1994 | n/a | 458,983 |
| 1995 | n/a | 475,633 |
| 1996 | n/a | 489,250 |
| 1997 | n/a | 505,667 |
| 1998 | n/a | 521,425 |
| 1999 | n/a | 539,300 |
| 2000 | n/a | 560,083 |
| 2001 | 571,314 | 568,117 |
| 2002 | 571,869 | 568,767 |
| 2003 | 575,889 | 572,417 |
| 2004 | 591,355 | 588,192 |
| 2005 | 614,548 | 611,200 |
| 2006 | 643,671 | 638,292 |
| 2007 | 660,683 | 654,533 |
| 2008 | 653,108 | 648,458 |
| 2009 | 613,814 | 609,325 |
| 2010 | 605,571 | 603,108 |
| 2011 | 607,504 | 610,458 |
| 2012 | 614,463 | 621,925 |
| 2013 | 630,328 | 637,558 |
| 2014 | 646,305 | 653,800 |
| 2015 | 664,792 | 671,550 |
| 2016 | 687,919 | 694,225 |
| 2017 | 706,820 | 714,867 |
| 2018 | 730,716 | 738,617 |
| 2019 | 752,351 | 760,175 |
| 2020 | 748,123 | 754,400 |
| 2021 | 790,424 | 796,800 |
| 2022 | 820,860 | 827,725 |
| 2023 | 842,561 | 848,658 |
| 2024 | 858,504 | 864,550 |
| 2025 | 874,283 | 878,450 |
By county
- 296 to 2,459
- 2,460 to 4,166
- 4,167 to 7,456
- 7,457 to 16,339
- 16,340 to 295,234
Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, annual averages.
Data table (44 rows)
| County | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Ada County | 295,234 |
| Canyon County | 90,221 |
| Kootenai County | 71,925 |
| Bonneville County | 63,586 |
| Twin Falls County | 42,703 |
| Bannock County | 38,273 |
| Nez Perce County | 21,772 |
| Madison County | 17,803 |
| Bingham County | 16,585 |
| Bonner County | 16,176 |
| Latah County | 15,026 |
| Blaine County | 14,438 |
| Cassia County | 12,609 |
| Jerome County | 12,328 |
| Butte County | 10,275 |
| Minidoka County | 9,227 |
| Jefferson County | 8,326 |
| Elmore County | 7,522 |
| Payette County | 7,196 |
| Gooding County | 6,664 |
| Valley County | 5,740 |
| Shoshone County | 4,923 |
| Teton County | 4,906 |
| Gem County | 4,595 |
| Idaho County | 4,573 |
| Boundary County | 4,167 |
| Franklin County | 4,167 |
| Power County | 3,919 |
| Fremont County | 3,797 |
| Caribou County | 3,544 |
| Benewah County | 3,454 |
| Owyhee County | 3,425 |
| Washington County | 2,928 |
| Lemhi County | 2,789 |
| Clearwater County | 2,758 |
| Bear Lake County | 2,013 |
| Boise County | 1,831 |
| Lincoln County | 1,729 |
| Oneida County | 1,638 |
| Custer County | 1,601 |
| Lewis County | 1,554 |
| Adams County | 1,007 |
| Camas County | 352 |
| Clark County | 296 |
Employment by industry
Average annual covered employment by NAICS supersector, all ownership sectors combined.
People
Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, annual averages.
Data table (12 rows)
| Industry | 2025 (people) |
|---|---|
| Education and health services | 203,465 |
| Trade, transportation, and utilities | 166,991 |
| Professional and business services | 110,152 |
| Leisure and hospitality | 96,233 |
| Manufacturing | 74,296 |
| Construction | 73,105 |
| Public administration | 48,808 |
| Financial activities | 39,709 |
| Natural resources and mining | 27,652 |
| Other services | 23,501 |
| Information | 9,712 |
| Unclassified | 661 |
Employment by industry over time
- All other
- Public administration
- Construction
- Manufacturing
- Leisure and hospitality
- Professional and business services
- Trade, transportation, and utilities
- Education and health services
Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, annual averages.
Data table (13 rows)
| Period | Education and health services (people) | Trade, transportation, and utilities (people) | Professional and business services (people) | Leisure and hospitality (people) | Manufacturing (people) | Construction (people) | Public administration (people) | All other (people) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 118,417 | 121,508 | 74,725 | 57,607 | 61,688 | 39,868 | 40,826 | 75,736 |
| 2014 | 147,804 | 133,377 | 78,712 | 67,622 | 59,869 | 33,848 | 42,962 | 81,129 |
| 2015 | 152,195 | 137,330 | 79,915 | 69,915 | 61,589 | 36,151 | 43,226 | 83,480 |
| 2016 | 156,300 | 139,061 | 85,307 | 73,857 | 63,795 | 39,458 | 43,673 | 85,461 |
| 2017 | 159,067 | 140,912 | 88,726 | 77,061 | 66,056 | 42,668 | 44,450 | 86,573 |
| 2018 | 164,260 | 143,767 | 92,279 | 81,141 | 67,792 | 46,827 | 44,865 | 88,587 |
| 2019 | 170,214 | 146,526 | 94,855 | 84,790 | 68,404 | 50,684 | 45,566 | 90,080 |
| 2020 | 169,142 | 147,574 | 97,848 | 76,534 | 67,700 | 53,385 | 45,785 | 88,983 |
| 2021 | 175,526 | 159,696 | 102,548 | 85,265 | 70,198 | 57,936 | 45,212 | 93,003 |
| 2022 | 182,081 | 163,327 | 105,891 | 89,986 | 72,709 | 64,213 | 45,081 | 97,575 |
| 2023 | 189,548 | 163,829 | 108,455 | 94,647 | 74,096 | 66,702 | 46,066 | 99,219 |
| 2024 | 196,077 | 165,931 | 108,838 | 95,398 | 74,640 | 69,685 | 47,720 | 90,812 |
| 2025 | 203,465 | 166,991 | 110,152 | 96,233 | 74,296 | 73,105 | 48,808 | 101,235 |
Source
- Organization
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Dataset
- Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, annual averages
- Geography
- Nation, states, and Idaho's 44 counties
- Time coverage
- 2001-2025 (avg_annual_wage, covered_employment); 2004 and 2014-2025 (industry breakdown)
- Update frequency
- Annual
- Published
- Newest release as of
- ; next expected by July 2027
- Original file
- https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/files/2025/csv/2025_annual_by_area.zip
- Methodology
- https://www.bls.gov/cew/overview.htm
- License
- Public domain. U.S. federal government work.
- Our copy
- Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, annual averages
Caveats
- 'Total covered' means federal, state, and local government plus private employment combined, across all industries.
- Industry breakdowns use BLS's 12-category supersector of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), not the 2-category domain or 21-category sector level, for Idaho and the US only.
- Industry-level combined-ownership figures are the sum of BLS's four separately published ownership sectors (federal, state, local, private), not a single published row.
- A row QCEW suppresses for confidentiality is omitted rather than estimated; Idaho's supersector breakdown can have fewer than 12 industries in a given year.
- Idaho Department of Labor republishes these QCEW figures for Idaho; it is not an independent survey.
- QCEW counts jobs and wages at the place of work, not the worker's place of residence, unlike the Current Population Survey's household-based counts. A county's average wage and employment reflect who works there, not who lives there, so a county with few establishments can be dominated by a single large employer.
Cite as Understand Idaho, “Idaho employment by industry”, https://understandidaho.com/economy/employment-by-industry/; cite the publisher above for the figures. See the data catalog.
This page was last updated .