Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Idaho Falls, ID MSA — October 2026
Idaho Falls wages climb as labor force growth outpaces job creation.
Southeastern Idaho advertised wages jumped 12.5% to $22.09 an hour even as unemployment rose to 3.9%, a sign more workers are entering the market faster than employers are adding positions.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Southeastern Idaho unemployment rate: 3.9% — Up from 3.1% in Bonneville County, July 2026
- Average advertised hourly wage: $22.09 — Up 12.5% YoY from $19.63
- Job postings volume: 2,817 — Up 13.8% YoY across 658 employers
- Idaho Falls nonfarm job growth: 0.1% — Smallest gain among growing Idaho metros
Key takeaways
Labor force growth is outpacing job creation in Idaho Falls.
Unemployment ticked up to 3.9% in southeastern Idaho even as job postings grew nearly 14% year-over-year, a signal of hiring demand where one ad often covers several openings. This pattern is consistent with net in-migration adding workers faster than new positions are created, a combination that typically signals a market gaining capacity.
Wage gains in Idaho Falls are outpacing the state and national average.
Advertised hourly wages in southeastern Idaho rose 12.5% year-over-year to $22.09, well above Idaho's 4.7% statewide wage growth and the national 4.1% pace. Commerce leaders should treat this as a signal of employer competition for a still-tight frontline workforce despite rising unemployment.
Healthcare wage strength stands out against a mixed metro-wide picture.
Certified Nursing Assistant pay rose significantly to $41,600 and Registered Nurse pay climbed to $92,359 locally, tracking a national pattern where healthcare leads private-sector hiring demand. That divergence from flatter sectors like retail and administrative work suggests healthcare capacity is the metro's clearest growth story.
Professional and technical pay softness bucks the local wage-growth narrative.
Software Engineer, Data Engineer, Accountant, and Business Analyst advertised pay all declined locally even as frontline and healthcare wages rose, a divergence worth watching for what it implies about the metro's higher-wage professional base. Economic development officials courting knowledge-sector employers should weigh this against the region's otherwise strong wage-growth headline.
Median advertised pay by role — Idaho Falls, ID MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $24,960 | $30,176 | $33,307 | Moderate decline | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $24,223 | $28,080 | $30,692 | Stable | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $31,200 | $36,113 | $39,520 | Stable | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $53,018 | $77,900 | $90,710 | Stable | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $28,817 | $35,360 | $39,520 | Moderate increase | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $33,954 | $37,294 | $39,520 | Stable | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $62,400 | $69,375 | $82,405 | Significant decline | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $31,200 | $33,280 | $37,049 | Moderate increase | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $21,840 | $36,179 | $37,440 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $28,080 | $31,200 | $38,610 | Significant decline | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $33,186 | $41,600 | $41,600 | Significant increase | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $35,300 | $41,329 | $45,000 | Stable | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $76,960 | $80,176 | $81,120 | Stable | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $81,120 | $92,359 | $105,105 | Moderate increase | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $103,956 | $123,831 | $132,550 | Significant decline | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer * | $85,520 | $120,578 | $136,639 | Moderate decline | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $48,887 | $51,098 | $62,400 | Significant decline | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst | $63,817 | $71,464 | $81,938 | Stable | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $37,266 | $56,189 | $56,389 | Moderate increase | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist * | $46,928 | $65,000 | $75,436 | Significant increase | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $70,709 | $77,612 | $82,055 | Significant increase | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $27,040 | $51,500 | $56,061 | Stable | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $60,807 | $86,220 | $94,668 | Stable | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $70,000 | $70,000 | $70,000 | No data | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $83,668 | $88,374 | $106,116 | Significant decline | $98,302 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $66,431 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $74,250 | Significant increase | Significant decline |
| Retail Trade | $37,372 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $45,626 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Information | $50,000 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $44,838 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $77,598 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $49,880 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $27,040 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Government | $65,425 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Idaho Falls metro job growth slowed to 0.1% month-over-month in September, trailing both Boise and other Idaho metros even as southeastern Idaho's unemployment rate climbed to 3.9%, reflecting new entrants to the labor force. Job postings rose 13.8% year-over-year across the region's 658 employers with average advertised hourly wages up 12.5% to $22.09, a combination that points to employers competing for a labor pool growing faster than job creation. Job postings are a signal of hiring demand, and because one ad often covers several openings, posting counts should not be read as a count of openings or hires.
What it means
Rising advertised wages alongside a climbing unemployment rate is consistent with a labor market where population growth is outpacing job creation, a dynamic that commerce leaders should read as expanding consumer and workforce capacity. Slower fill times (postings open a median 31 days) and modest job growth suggest expansion plans may face longer timelines to reach full staffing even though candidates are more available than a year ago. Local economic development organizations should consider framing labor force growth as the metro's primary selling point to prospective employers evaluating relocation or expansion, alongside tight unemployment.
Looking ahead
Early indicator: Southeastern Idaho's unemployment uptick to 3.9% warrants tracking over the next two reports to confirm it reflects labor force entrants and not the start of a hiring slowdown. A continued rise alongside flat job postings would change the read from expansion to softening.
Worth watching: Idaho National Laboratory and Naval Nuclear Laboratory hiring activity, highlighted at June's regional hiring event, remains a bellwether for the metro's technical and skilled-trade labor demand. Any shift in federal lab staffing posture would ripple through the broader southeastern Idaho economy given its scale relative to the metro workforce.
Potential inflection point: Posting duration at 31 days, longer than a year ago, suggests employers are taking more time to fill roles even with more candidates available. A further lengthening would point to skills or geographic mismatches, relevant to any workforce-pipeline investment decisions.
Policy watch: Federal immigration enforcement activity and tariff policy continue to shape labor force and manufacturing input costs nationally; neither has produced a documented, metro-specific effect in Idaho Falls this month. Commerce leaders should track official Idaho Department of Labor releases for any local read-through on these national dynamics.
Sources
- Idaho Department of Labor — Idaho Falls nonfarm job growth of 0.1% month-over-month in September 2026
- Idaho Labor Market Information — Southeastern Idaho unemployment rate reached 3.9% in September 2026
- Idaho Labor Market Information — Average advertised hourly wage in southeastern Idaho rose to $22.09
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS) — Idaho statewide wage growth of 4.7% ranks third nationally
- Idaho Department of Labor — Bonneville County unemployment at 3.1% in July 2026
- Idaho@work — Idaho National Laboratory and Naval Nuclear Laboratory regional hiring event
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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