As technology advances, the demand for energy continues to grow — especially with data centers and semiconductor fabrication facilities continuing to be built across the country. For Idaho, this is no different. Over the past two decades, Idaho has met its growing energy demand by expanding domestic generation and diversifying its power sources, resulting in an increase in high paying job opportunities.
Domestic vs. imported energy
A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is a unit of energy equal to 1,000 watts of electricity consumed over the course of one hour. When scaled up by a factor of 1,000, a kWh becomes a megawatt-hour (MWh).
In 2025, the average Idaho household consumed 11.2 MWh of electricity, compared with the national average of 10.5 MWh. Idaho’s above-average consumption can be explained by its cold winters and hot summers increasing demand for both heating and air conditioning.
Despite using more energy, Idahoans pay lower prices per kWh than most states.1 Because of this, many people assume the state is a net exporter of electricity. However, Idaho actually relied heavily on imported electricity for decades, as opposed to its own generated electricity (referred to as domestic).
A terawatt-hour (TWh) is equal to 1,000,000,000 kWh. In 2000, Idaho generated 11.9 TWh of electricity while importing an additional 13.6 TWh from neighboring states, bringing total electricity consumption to 25.5 TWh. It wasn’t until 2011 following the Great Recession that in-state generation supplied a majority of Idaho’s electricity needs, reducing imports to 35% of total consumption.
Idaho’s importation of electricity continued to decline gradually throughout the 2010s. While the COVID-19 pandemic caused a sharp but temporary increase in the share of imported electricity — reaching a height of 42% in 2022 — it fell back down to 29% by 2024. More recently, in 2025, Idaho consumed 28.3 TWh of electricity, with domestic generation reaching a record of 20.7 TWh.
Figure 1. Domestic generation and imported electricity, 2000–2024
Types of electricity generated in Idaho
Hydroelectric power remains the foundation of Idaho’s electricity generation. Since 2000, hydroelectric facilities have generated an average of 9.4 TWh of electricity annually, producing 9.7 TWh in 2025. Annual output fluctuates with water availability, and because few major dams have been constructed or significantly expanded in recent decades, hydroelectric generation has remained relatively stable over time.
Natural gas has emerged as Idaho’s second-largest source of electricity generation. Output increased from just 0.3 TWh in 2000 to 5.7 TWh in 2025. Meanwhile, coal-fired generation remained minimal, hovering around 0.08 TWh annually before being phased out entirely in 2023.
Wind and solar generation have experienced the fastest growth over the past two decades. Wind generation came online in 2006, producing 0.2 TWh in its first year, and expanded to 3.1 TWh by 2025, making it Idaho’s second-largest renewable energy source. Solar generation followed a decade later, beginning with just 0.03 TWh in 2016 before increasing to 1.6 TWh within 10 years.
Yearly biomass and geothermal generation have remained comparatively stable, producing approximately 0.5 TWh and 0.08 TWh respectively, with geothermal first contributing to Idaho’s electricity supply in 2008, as shown in Figure 2 below.2
Figure 2. Electricity generation by source, 2000–2025
Employment from domestic energy
Idaho’s push for domestic electricity independence has paved a path into strong-paying jobs across the state. For example, in 2025, electrical power-line installers and repairers started with an entry wage of $82,420 a year and an average annual wage of $113,480 overall — nearly double Idaho’s average annual wage across all occupations of $61,170.
Electrical engineers were also well compensated in Idaho in 2025, earning an average of $126,200 annually. Power distributors and dispatchers and power plant operators rounded out the list, averaging $143,960 and $112,490 a year respectively.
Idaho employed 2,270 workers across these roles in 2025, with the largest share — 860 workers — being electrical power-line installers and repairers. As the state continues to grow rapidly, it’s likely the high salaries and demand for jobs in these fields will persist.3
Conclusion
As energy demand has grown, Idaho has expanded domestic electricity generation over the past two decades. As a result, the state has reduced its reliance on imports, supported high-paying job creation and built a more diverse energy portfolio. However, as advancements in AI and data centers persist, so will the demand for electricity, and Idaho’s grid will require continued investment, employment and innovation to meet future needs.
Read the full Idaho’s Electricity by the Numbers report for more detailed information on energy consumption, cost, affordability, generation sources and utilization rates in the state.
Tristan van Komen, research analyst
Idaho Department of Labor
Sources
1 “Historical State Data 1990-2024,” U.S. Energy Information Administration, accessed June 2026, https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/state/.
2 “State Energy Data System,” U.S. Energy Information Administration, accessed June 2026, https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/state/.
3 “Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics,” Idaho Department of Labor, accessed August 2026, https://lmi.idaho.gov/data-tools/oews/.
This Idaho Department of Labor project is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor for SFY26 as part of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Cooperative Agreement totaling $714,542.