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Idaho Matters

Despite a growing population, Idaho's future work force is uncertain

Though Idaho's population has been increasing for years there has not been a similar uptick in school enrollment, which could impact our future work force.

Broadcast on:
11 Oct 2023
A graphic comparing Idaho’s births by year with public school enrollments by grade in the 2022-23 school year.
A graphic comparing Idaho’s births by year with public school enrollments by grade in the 2022-23 school year.( Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Idaho Department of Education)

According to the Idaho Department of Labor Idaho had the number one growth rate in the nation over the last 10 years, jumping up by over 21%.

We've talked a lot about how all this growth has created a housing crisis in Idaho, but there's an aspect of such a fast growing population we haven't mentioned - kids, schools and the state's future labor force.

Idaho's growth has not been even across the state and that means uneven student enrollment in schools. What will future enrollment look like? And what will this all mean for our labor force over time?

Economist Lisa Grigg with the Idaho Department of Labor joined Idaho Matters to help answer these questions.