Tag Archives: Economy

Economic snapshot: A look at Idaho’s full-service restaurant industry

Full-Service Restaurants have a significant impact on Idaho’s economy. In 2025, the National Restaurant Association estimated that Idaho’s Full-Service Restaurants provided $2.76 billion in direct economic output and employs more than 28,500 people. This is 3% of Idaho’s overall employment.1

Full-Service Restaurants are restaurants with a waitstaff and offer a dining experience with table service, compared with Limited-Service Restaurants which customers generally take the food to go and there is no table service, such as a fast-food restaurant.

Full-Service Restaurant in Idaho experienced disproportionate employment drops during the pandemic compared with total employment. This was due to people not going out as much to eat. While the state’s overall total employment declined 10.2% from 2019 to 2020 due to the pandemic, Full-Service Restaurant employment declined by a larger 14.3%. Since then, the industry in Idaho stagnated from 2023-2024 (shown in Figure 1) and has not returned to the level it was before the pandemic.

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Discover how Idaho’s labor market relies on international export partnerships

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Feb. 3, 2026
Media Contact: Ryan.Whitesides@labor.idaho.gov

Idaho Department of Labor Economist Ryan Whitesides will be presenting with a panel of state and federal government representatives, discussing Idaho’s labor market reliance on international export partnerships at a webinar, Tuesday, Feb. 10.

Representatives from Idaho Commerce, the Idaho State Department of Agriculture and the U.S. International Trade Administration will be in attendance.

Idaho’s foreign trade portfolio comprises over 205 nations who consume the state’s exported goods and services. Of these total exports, over 80% are manufactured products. This webinar will explore what these particular goods and services are and the jobs they support.

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Around Idaho: Economic activity, January 2026

Map of IdahoInformation provided in these news updates is collected up until the end of January and includes professional sources, news releases, weekly and daily newspapers, television and other media.

Northern Idaho
North central Idaho
Southwestern Idaho
South central Idaho
Southeastern Idaho
Eastern Idaho

NORTHERN IDAHO

Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai and Shoshone counties

Regional news

  • Amid the warmest winter on record, snowpack across northern Idaho is far below normal, creating what a hydrologist at the Idaho Department of Water Resources have called a “snow drought.” Precipitation levels have been normal, but high temperatures have led to more rain than snow, allowing high runoff. The low snowpack makes it likely that northern Idaho will continue to see drought conditions for the fourth consecutive year. Source: Bonner County Daily Bee
  • Heritage Health is breaking ground on Phase 2 of their Center for Healthy Living. When the new phase is completed, it will consolidate a variety of services in a single facility, including medical, dental, pediatric and behavioral health services. The Phase 2 facility will cost $4 million and is expected to be completed in the fall of 2026. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press
  • An 85,000 square foot, $5 million indoor pickleball facility is under construction in Post Falls. Slated for opening in June, The Flying Pickle is the first northern Idaho franchise for the Meridian-based company. The facility will include 24 indoor courts. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

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Economic snapshot: Idaho’s growing fitness industry

The holiday season is in the rearview mirror and New Year’s resolutions are near to mind. An overwhelmingly popular resolve is to be more active, with gym memberships recently reaching a record-breaking 77 million in the U.S.1 In Idaho, the fitness industry has grown by 85% over the past decade — increasing from 175 to 324 establishments — and has been directly tied to the state’s notable population growth.2

About one in four Americans participate in the fitness and recreational sports center industry (commonly referred to as the “fitness industry”) which includes gyms, sports clubs, swimming complexes, yoga and Pilates studios, skating rinks and hot springs along with indoor soccer, tennis and pickleball courts.3 Continue reading →

Around Idaho: Economic activity, December 2025

Map of IdahoInformation provided in these news updates is collected up until the end of December and includes professional sources, news releases, weekly and daily newspapers, television and other media.

Northern Idaho
North central Idaho
Southwestern Idaho
South central Idaho
Southeastern Idaho
Eastern Idaho

NORTHERN IDAHO

Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai and Shoshone counties

Regional news

  • Unfavorable weather has so far prevented area ski resorts from full and consistent operations. Lookout Pass and Silver Mountain, in Shoshone County, both had delayed openings and have since experienced intermittent closures due to inconsistent weather. Schweitzer, in Bonner County, currently has one lift operating. Idaho ranked No. 10 nationally for total annual skier visits. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press
  • Northern Idaho Advanced Care Hospital is expanding services with the opening of a new 17-bed rehabilitation unit at their Post Falls campus. This will raise the capacity at the Post Falls campus, which is shared with Rehabilitation Hospital of the Northwest, to a total of 47 intensive medical rehabilitation beds. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

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Idaho’s e-commerce industry continues to grow

One of the most visible trends in the American economy — especially during the holiday season — has been the long and steady rise of online retail sales, or e-commerce. Currently, in 2025, e-commerce accounts for more than 16% of all retail sales in the U.S., and trends suggest it will continue to gain ground in future years.

E-commerce has been growing as an industry since the turn of the century. In 2000, e-commerce retail sales made up less than 1% of total retail activity in the U.S. Since then, this share has continued to increase steadily, with a rapid acceleration occurring in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, as can be seen below in Figure 1. Continue reading →

Around Idaho: Economic activity, November 2025

Map of IdahoInformation provided in these news updates is collected up until the end of November and includes professional sources, news releases, weekly and daily newspapers, television and other media.

Northern Idaho
North central Idaho
Southwestern Idaho
South central Idaho
Southeastern Idaho
Eastern Idaho

NORTHERN IDAHO

Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai and Shoshone counties

Regional news

  • The regional housing market remains strong, according to the Coeur d’Alene Regional Realtors. Median prices on single family homes increased 4.1% year over year in October, while year to date home sales increased 3.6% in Kootenai County. Median prices and sales also increased in Shoshone County by 3.9% and 6.4% respectively. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

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Report sheds light on past 20 years of economic growth in rural Idaho

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Nov. 21, 2025
Media Contact: Craig.Shaul@labor.idaho.gov

Rural Idaho plays a crucial role in the state’s economy and its future. Natural resources, manufacturing and renewable energy production continue to remain central to rural livelihoods, according to a report released this week from the Idaho Department of Labor.

The Profile of Rural Idaho provides an updated look at the state’s rural identity in 2025 and its evolution over the past 20 years since the previous profile was released in 2005. The report is divided into three parts analyzing demographic trends, the economic backbone of rural Idaho and the critical trends shaping the state’s future. Continue reading →

Webinar spotlights two decades of economic change in rural Idaho

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Nov. 12, 2025
Media Contact: Craig.Shaul@labor.idaho.gov

The Idaho Department of Labor is hosting a webinar focusing on the past 20 years of growth in rural Idaho, Tuesday, Nov. 18.

“Idaho’s population has grown three times as fast as the U.S. This webinar will bring together rural voices and community leaders to speak in detail about their experiences as rural residents,” Labor Market Research Manager Craig Shaul said.

The event is from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. MT.

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Around Idaho: Economic activity, October 2025

Map of IdahoInformation provided in these news updates is collected up until the end of October and includes professional sources, news releases, weekly and daily newspapers, television and other media.

Northern Idaho
North central Idaho
Southwestern Idaho
South central Idaho
Southeastern Idaho
Eastern Idaho

NORTHERN IDAHO

Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai and Shoshone counties

Regional news

  • Home sales and prices increased year over year in the Inland Northwest, including in Kootenai County. Year to date single family sales in Kootenai County were 1,892 at the end of September (a 4% increase over 2024) while median prices climbed to $547,250 for a 3% year over year increase. Source: Journal of Business

Kootenai County

  • A new affordable housing development is opening in Post Falls. ’The Arc’ features 38 single family homes priced at $375,000, with resale limitations designed to ensure long-term affordability. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

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