Best Community Colleges in Idaho

Why Attend Community College in Idaho?

Choosing to study at a community college can be a smart alternative to the high-tuition alternatives of large public institutions and especially their private counterparts. Idaho has a number of affordable options, but also boasts a healthy economy, which should instill confidence in aspiring students. A few examples of great options are the College of Eastern Idaho (with a net price of $7,000 per year), North Idaho College located in Coeur D'alene, and an even more affordable option located in Twin Falls is the College of Southern Idaho - which typically costs less than $6,000 per year and has an intimate feel with less than 2,000 annual students.

What Career Pathways Are Available in Idaho?

Idaho offers a whopping 636 different job types. Although this sits about 12% below the national median of 700, there are still numerous alternatives to choose from. Idaho ranks #39 for most job types to choose from. When compared to the national average, Louisiana is a great example, as it totals 722 unique positions. As a whole, the state Gem State employs about 0.54% of the nation’s labor force. The state is strong in various areas, but especially in advanced manufacturing, food production, technology, and recreation activities (particularly those in the outdoors).

The state employs around 756 thousand people, putting it in just the 26th percentile of state labor forces. Idaho missed the median substantially by -58.5%, falling short by more than 1 million professionals (-1,068,460) when compared to Oregon, which is considered the median state in this case.

What Are The Most Common Jobs in Idaho?

Although there are over 600 different job types in Idaho (636 to be exact), some of the most common are customer service representatives, general managers, and retail salespersons.

Customer Service Representatives

The state of Idaho has 21,620 customer service reps as of the end of 2022, the 34th most of any state but still falling well short of the leader which is Texas - where nearly 300,000 such reps are employed (Idaho falls short of that total by a whopping 93%). In terms of salary, Idaho pays rather poorly for this position (ranking in the 47th slot), with a median annual salary of $30,220, that’s worse than 92% of states, ouch.

General Managers

In the nation, there are approximately 2,984,940 general managers, 0.72% of which call Idaho home. That comes out to be exactly 21,450 - making it the 2nd most common occupation type in Idaho - although nearly 3/4ths of states have more such managers than Idaho. Although the pay is higher than customer service reps at $61,870 - Idaho ranks dead last. In other words, if you’re after a general manager or operations manager position upon graduation, make sure you dive into the compensation details to see if you can wiggle out a better offer.

Retail Salesperson

In Idaho, sitting almost perfectly in-line with the national median, you’ll find retail salespersons. The typical position fetches $28,350 in the state, vs the national median of $28,580 (a slight difference of just 0.8% - or about the price of a short flight somewhere). Given the small difference, there’s no reason to stress out too much. This gives Idaho the 29th rank for retail sales pay, and puts it rather close to the median of neighboring Utah (which has a median salary for this position of just under $29,000). If you were hoping for more, don’t fret, those that perform highest in this role can attain a compensation bump of close to 70%, which can land you at nearly $50,000 per year.