Idaho’s 2023 average hourly wage increased 8.3% from 2022

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - Idaho’s average wage for all occupations was $26.75 per hour in 2023, according to recently released data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey. This amounts to an increase of 8.3%, or $2.06 per hour, from the year prior.

The median wage, representing the midpoint between lowest and highest earners, also rose from $19.26 per hour in 2022 to $21.27 per hour in 2023 — a 10.4% increase over the year.

All of Idaho’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) had an increase in median wage of over $1.00 from 2022 to 2023; however, average wages and staffing patterns vary across the state. The Boise MSA had the largest average hourly wage increase of $2.62 over the year.

Among the state’s labor market regions, southwestern Idaho had the highest average hourly wage for 2023 at $27.87. It also had the highest median wage for 2023 at $21.69 per hour — barely edging out north central Idaho’s median wage of $21.66 per hour. The lowest median wage was in southeastern Idaho at $19.80 per hour — the only labor market region with a median or mean wage under $20.00 for 2023.

Employment has also grown across the state. In 2023, Idaho’s reported employment number was 822,690 — an increase of over 25,000, or 3.2%, from 2022’s total of 797,420. Boise, the largest MSA, experienced the bulk of the state’s employment growth. The Boise MSA added 14,240 jobs — a 4.0% gain, exceeding the state’s growth of 3.2%.

North central Idaho’s employment growth was the smallest, with a modest increase of 910 between 2022 and 2023. While this region had the smallest numerical increase in employment, it grew by 2.1% from the previous year.