Best Online Colleges in Idaho

Benefits of Studying Online in Idaho

With more than 1.8 million inhabitants, Idaho ranks as just the 38th largest state by population. The capitol resides in Boise, which is also the state’s largest city. Despite a relatively small population, the Gem State boasts the 14th largest land area of any state, giving people more than 83,000 square miles of outdoor wilderness to explore. It’s also home to the Frank Church Wilderness area, the largest roadless area in the lower 48 states.

Employment Stats

In terms of economic health, as of October 2022, Idaho had 827,900 non-farm employees (the 38th most of any state), accounting for just 0.54% of the nation’s workforce. Nearly 25,000 new jobs were added since 2021, when the total tallied 803,200. This increase of 3.08% makes Idaho the 24th fastest growing state from the standpoint of jobs added year over year. So although Idaho may not be massive in size, it’s still slightly above average in terms of annual growth, and is expected to continue in the same trend, which will provide ample employment opportunities for new students entering the workforce. That being said, in terms of gross opportunities, it actually has more than 1.1 million fewer people employed than the median state (58% less to be exact).

Idaho just beat out the District of Columbia (by just under 8%, 60k to be precise), which recorded more than 768 thousand jobs in 2022. That being said, Idaho still sits a whopping 95% below the nation leader (California), which shouldn’t come as a surprise given that Idaho accounts for just 0.6% of the nation’s population. Also, of the 37 states with a higher ranking than Idaho, New Mexico just edged out Idaho for #37, recording a total employed workforce of 855,000 at the end of 2022, that’s 27,000 more than Idaho (an advantage of 3.1%).

Job Opportunities

The state of Idaho has more than 600 different occupation types (636 to be exact). This puts it at the 39th slot, and about 12% below the national median of about 700 occupations. So although it’s below the median, there’s still nearly 650 different career pathways for you to choose from. Louisiana is a good example of the median number of job pathways, tallying 722 unique positions. Also worth noting, the state as a whole employs about 0.54% of the nation’s labor force (which totals just over 140 million). Despite having a smaller selection of jobs, the state still offers exceptional job diversity across advanced manufacturing, food production, technology and outdoor recreation.

The state has a number of high ranking academic institutions, particularly around certain specialities. The University of Idaho is approaching 10,000 students per semester (located in Moscow) and boasts some of the more advanced state programs. There’s also Brigham Young University - Idaho, located in the frigid city of Rexburg which has an enormous in-person and online enrollment (last tally showed around 45,000 total annual students). Although Rexburg winters are indeed frigid, summers do provide some outstanding outdoor recreation opportunities.

*All data sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2023)