Counties with the highest unemployment in Idaho
While today's unemployment rates are significantly lower than the COVID-19 pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, the fear of job losses remains as workers stare down an uncertain economic future.
Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Idaho using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in February 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.
Experts are mixed in their views of a potential recession. The return of student loan payments, continually high gas prices, persistent inflation, and insurance price escalations are just a few of the factors that could limit consumer spending and potentially prompt another recession.
The last economic recession before the pandemic—the Great Recession of 2007-09—sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years.
But as of March 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.8%—down slightly from the previous month. Regional and state employment varies widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 2% in North Dakota to 5.3% in California.
Read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Idaho.
#44. Teton County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,525 people (194 unemployed)
#43. Madison County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 24,523 people (704 unemployed)
#42. Minidoka County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,804 people (395 unemployed)
#41. Cassia County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,138 people (397 unemployed)
#40. Caribou County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,611 people (123 unemployed)
#39. Latah County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 21,636 people (727 unemployed)
#38. Nez Perce County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,098 people (760 unemployed)
#37. Ada County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 291,282 people (9,775 unemployed)
#36. Oneida County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,333 people (82 unemployed)
#35. Fremont County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,986 people (279 unemployed)
#34. Blaine County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,012 people (495 unemployed)
#33. Jefferson County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,595 people (550 unemployed)
#32. Bonneville County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 66,135 people (2,340 unemployed)
#31. Franklin County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,144 people (254 unemployed)
#30. Clark County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 1.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 435 people (16 unemployed)
#29. Butte County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,180 people (44 unemployed)
#28. Bingham County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 23,861 people (876 unemployed)
#27. Bear Lake County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,879 people (113 unemployed)
#26. Bannock County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 45,469 people (1,760 unemployed)
#25. Jerome County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,553 people (466 unemployed)
#24. Twin Falls County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 43,949 people (1,736 unemployed)
#23. Gooding County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,889 people (326 unemployed)
#22. Lewis County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,578 people (71 unemployed)
#21. Power County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,947 people (179 unemployed)
#20. Canyon County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 118,718 people (5,286 unemployed)
#19. Elmore County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,529 people (581 unemployed)
#18. Gem County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,914 people (450 unemployed)
#17. Washington County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,655 people (238 unemployed)
#16. Payette County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,866 people (602 unemployed)
#15. Lemhi County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,926 people (203 unemployed)
#14. Kootenai County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 89,543 people (4,615 unemployed)
#13. Valley County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,571 people (354 unemployed)
#12. Boise County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,132 people (226 unemployed)
#11. Idaho County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,094 people (400 unemployed)
#10. Lincoln County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,519 people (143 unemployed)
#9. Custer County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,979 people (115 unemployed)
#8. Owyhee County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,555 people (331 unemployed)
#7. Bonner County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,938 people (1,477 unemployed)
#6. Camas County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 574 people (38 unemployed)
#5. Shoshone County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,914 people (409 unemployed)
#4. Boundary County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,659 people (399 unemployed)
#3. Clearwater County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,429 people (256 unemployed)
#2. Benewah County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,339 people (330 unemployed)
#1. Adams County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,854 people (164 unemployed)
This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
