Counties with the highest unemployment in Idaho
The first jobs report under the new Trump administration showed a stable job market, with the unemployment rate ticking down from 4.1% to 4% in January, the lowest since last May, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics figures released Feb. 7.
The report marks 49 consecutive months of overall job growth, the second-longest recorded period since 1939.
Job losses that did occur were concentrated in the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industries, which declined by 8,000 jobs over the month. There was little change in employment in other major industries.
To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates Idaho, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in December 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.
Key takeaways: Jobs report reveals cooling labor market
January's job growth of 143,000 fell short of expectations, while the downward revision of 589,000 fewer jobs in 2024 suggests the labor market was weaker last year than initially thought.
Business leaders are starting to display more caution, with 67% of executives reporting higher stress levels heading into 2025, according to a survey of 1,000 executives by Sentry, a business insurance company. Among survey respondents, 47% citing economic uncertainty as their biggest concern.
"We have what I would describe as a robust but frozen labor market," Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon, told The New York Times, noting that while unemployment remains low, there's very little churn or employee turnover as "businesses are being cautious as to how they manage their work force."
Moody's Analytics projects monthly payroll gains could slow to around 100,000 by year-end.
The big story: Potential for economic headwinds grows
Behind the "Now Hiring" signs and modest unemployment rate, there's growing concern on Main Street that the economy might be more fragile than it appears.
"You've already got companies hiring as if they're in a recession—even if they're not laying people off," Oliver Allen, senior U.S. economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, told CNN. Average unemployment duration, a lagging indicator, rose from 20.8 weeks in January 2024 to 22 in January of this year.
Tightening trade regulations and federal trimming could also have an impact on the job market. Experts predict the U.S. gross domestic product could take a hit due to increased tariffs. The U.S. government is the country's largest employer and contributes 36% to the GDP.
Sudden cuts to federal spending advocated by the new administration could hit the economy hard. One example of the potential fallout is that if prices were to increase further due to higher tariffs, consumer purchasing power would decline, stymieing economic growth.
Whether the effects of slashing the workforce and the budget will be exceeded by Trump's plans to loosen business regulations and cut taxes remains to be seen.
To get a better idea of your community's current economy, read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Idaho.
43. Madison County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 25,111 people (680 unemployed)
43. Teton County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
--- 1-month change: -1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,866 people (209 unemployed)
42. Oneida County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,518 people (73 unemployed)
39. Jefferson County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,122 people (476 unemployed)
39. Fremont County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,135 people (245 unemployed)
39. Bonneville County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 68,393 people (2,071 unemployed)
37. Minidoka County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,034 people (375 unemployed)
37. Franklin County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,393 people (231 unemployed)
34. Cassia County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,373 people (395 unemployed)
34. Blaine County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,205 people (451 unemployed)
34. Ada County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 304,218 people (9,631 unemployed)
33. Latah County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 21,810 people (712 unemployed)
32. Bingham County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 24,102 people (835 unemployed)
30. Nez Perce County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,664 people (808 unemployed)
30. Bear Lake County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,844 people (101 unemployed)
28. Twin Falls County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 45,707 people (1,671 unemployed)
28. Bannock County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 47,115 people (1,738 unemployed)
25. Butte County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,228 people (47 unemployed)
25. Gooding County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,997 people (300 unemployed)
25. Elmore County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,453 people (473 unemployed)
23. Canyon County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 123,489 people (4,889 unemployed)
23. Jerome County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,065 people (484 unemployed)
22. Lemhi County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,042 people (165 unemployed)
21. Caribou County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,598 people (152 unemployed)
19. Gem County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,239 people (398 unemployed)
19. Lewis County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,590 people (68 unemployed)
17. Valley County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,546 people (294 unemployed)
17. Clark County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +2.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 444 people (20 unemployed)
13. Owyhee County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,722 people (265 unemployed)
13. Power County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: +0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,146 people (192 unemployed)
13. Payette County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,947 people (552 unemployed)
13. Washington County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,607 people (211 unemployed)
11. Boise County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,270 people (199 unemployed)
11. Kootenai County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 90,908 people (4,273 unemployed)
10. Lincoln County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,577 people (123 unemployed)
8. Camas County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5%
--- 1-month change: +0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 580 people (29 unemployed)
8. Custer County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,080 people (103 unemployed)
7. Idaho County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,111 people (370 unemployed)
6. Bonner County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,751 people (1,256 unemployed)
5. Benewah County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,160 people (243 unemployed)
4. Boundary County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
--- 1-month change: +1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,716 people (336 unemployed)
3. Clearwater County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 6%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,399 people (204 unemployed)
2. Shoshone County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,776 people (371 unemployed)
1. Adams County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.3%
--- 1-month change: +1.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,887 people (137 unemployed)
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Ben Popken, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
