{"schema_version": 1, "id": "pocatello-id-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10", "product": "Metro Job Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 382, "label": "Pocatello, ID MSA", "slug": "pocatello-id-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "general_conditions", "slug": "metro-job-market", "label": "General Market Conditions"}, "period": "2026-10", "public_after": "2026-10-01", "frozen_at": "2026-11-03T07:59:45.023906+00:00", "headline": "Pocatello's labor market treads water as nuclear jobs offset food-plant losses.", "headline_summary": "Pocatello MSA employment fell 1.0% year-over-year even as Premier Technology's nuclear-manufacturing expansion added jobs and South-Central Idaho wages dropped from $30.46 to $22.95 an hour.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Pocatello MSA employment, YoY", "value": "-1.0%", "context": "vs 0.2% MoM gain in September"}, {"label": "Bannock County unemployment", "value": "3.8%", "context": "vs 3.6% Idaho, 4.1% U.S."}, {"label": "South-Central Idaho avg. wage", "value": "$22.95/hr", "context": "down from $30.46/hr a year ago"}, {"label": "South-Central Idaho job postings", "value": "-22% YoY", "context": "vs +31% YoY in Boise metro"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Manufacturing wage data tells two different stories at once.", "body": "Production worker and assembler pay fell significantly to $31,738 even as electrician pay rose to $82,309 \u2014 advanced, skilled-trade manufacturing is pulling away from entry-level production work. This bifurcation is consistent with Premier Technology's nuclear-manufacturing expansion favoring credentialed trades over general assembly labor."}, {"headline": "Employment growth has stalled despite low unemployment.", "body": "Pocatello's 1.0% year-over-year employment decline alongside a 3.8% unemployment rate indicates fewer people are both working and actively job-seeking; the market shows softening participation rather than the traditional signature of a tight labor market. That combination may reflect participation softening locally, a dynamic worth distinguishing from labor scarcity when evaluating site-selection or expansion pitches."}, {"headline": "Logistics consolidation is a quiet signal.", "body": "Swire Coca-Cola's move to centralize distribution near Idaho Falls reflects a broader regional logistics realignment affecting facility geography across the corridor, with no indication of a Pocatello-specific downturn. CDL driver pay locally still climbed to $83,980, above the national median, suggesting transportation demand in the corridor remains resilient even as facility geography shifts."}, {"headline": "South-Central Idaho is diverging sharply from Boise's momentum.", "body": "Southwestern Idaho posted 31% year-over-year job-posting growth (job ads, a signal of hiring demand; one ad often covers several openings) against a 22% decline in South-Central Idaho, the widest regional split in the state's labor data this year. Commerce leaders benchmarking Pocatello against statewide headlines should separate Boise-driven state averages from the metro's actual trajectory."}], "local_conditions": "Pocatello MSA nonfarm employment ticked up 0.2% month-over-month in September even as year-over-year employment fell 1.0%, a divergence that points to a labor market treading water, with Bannock County unemployment at 3.8% running above both the state rate of 3.6% and holding steady against a declining labor force participation trend statewide. Opposing employer moves this month \u2014 Premier Technology's nuclear-manufacturing facility expansion (40-50 jobs) against Amy's Kitchen's 49-worker layoff and Swire Coca-Cola's consolidation of Pocatello distribution operations toward Idaho Falls \u2014 illustrate a metro absorbing sector-specific contraction in food manufacturing and logistics while gaining ground in advanced manufacturing tied to federal nuclear-security investment.", "implications": "South-Central Idaho's 22% year-over-year decline in job postings (job ads, a signal of hiring demand; one ad often covers several openings) and a wage pullback from $30.46 to $22.95 average hourly, set against flat-to-negative local employment growth, signals a cooling in labor demand that commerce leaders should treat as a read on local business investment appetite. Divergent sector performance \u2014 advertised pay up significantly for electricians ($82,309), registered nurses ($98,945), and CDL drivers ($83,980), down significantly for manufacturing production workers ($31,738) and accountants ($61,422) \u2014 suggests capital is flowing toward skilled trades, healthcare, and logistics infrastructure while traditional manufacturing and back-office functions soften. Current conditions suggest economic development leaders track whether Premier Technology's nuclear-sector expansion represents the start of a diversification trend worth courting further federal and defense-adjacent investment on its own merits, independent of this single announcement.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Early indicator", "body": "Watch whether Premier Technology's nuclear-facility ramp generates additional subcontractor or supplier activity in the Pocatello corridor over the next two quarters \u2014 a cluster effect would mark the first concrete diversification signal beyond a single-employer announcement."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "South-Central Idaho's average advertised wage has fallen over $7 year-over-year alongside a 22% posting decline; a continuation into Q1 2027 would indicate softening business investment locally, a structural trend distinct from seasonal noise."}, {"category": "Worth watching", "body": "Amy's Kitchen's 49-worker layoff is part of a stated national restructuring effort that extends beyond this single Pocatello facility; local economic development contacts should confirm whether the facility's remaining footprint is stable before drawing conclusions about food manufacturing in the metro."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "Bannock County's unemployment rate sitting above both the state (3.6%) and South Central Idaho (3.5%) averages bears watching for a second consecutive month \u2014 a sustained gap would separate Pocatello from the regional narrative of broad-based Idaho tightness."}], "roles": [{"role": "Retail Sales Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 24717.5, "metro_p50": 29120.0, "metro_p75": 33039.75, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 33340.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Retail Cashier", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 25464.0, "metro_p50": 31356.0, "metro_p75": 32240.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 31268.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 30254.5, "metro_p50": 37237.6, "metro_p75": 37564.75, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 38480.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "CDL Truck Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 60922.0, "metro_p50": 83980.0, "metro_p75": 100000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 78872.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Delivery Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 26491.0, "metro_p50": 31200.0, "metro_p75": 34122.25, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 34826.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Construction Laborer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 29179.75, "metro_p50": 33280.0, "metro_p75": 35360.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 40726.6, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Electrician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 60805.0, "metro_p50": 82309.4, "metro_p75": 84573.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 71835.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 30687.5, "metro_p50": 31738.0, "metro_p75": 36171.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Customer Service Representative", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 29681.5, "metro_p50": 37440.0, "metro_p75": 38480.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Food Service Worker", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 26286.0, "metro_p50": 31564.0, "metro_p75": 31720.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 33764.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 32800.5, "metro_p50": 35014.0, "metro_p75": 37440.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 41600.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 33129.25, "metro_p50": 39541.0, "metro_p75": 41321.75, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 44552.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "HVAC Technician", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 58096.5, "metro_p50": 70720.0, "metro_p75": 80000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 71406.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Registered Nurse", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 82066.0, "metro_p50": 98945.0, "metro_p75": 106614.25, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 102252.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Software Engineer", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 116624.0, "metro_p50": 153081.0, "metro_p75": 171515.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 154403.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Data Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 84712.0, "metro_p50": 85269.0, "metro_p75": 85269.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 138000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Accountant", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 59527.75, "metro_p50": 61422.0, "metro_p75": 63688.25, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 72000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Financial Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 69814.0, "metro_p50": 78766.0, "metro_p75": 85502.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 94646.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "HR Generalist/Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 51972.0, "metro_p50": 64961.0, "metro_p75": 71500.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 74477.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Marketing Specialist", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 46928.0, "metro_p50": 65000.0, "metro_p75": 75435.75, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 62916.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Operations Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 70709.0, "metro_p50": 77612.0, "metro_p75": 82054.5, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 86294.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Elementary/Secondary School Teacher", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 31200.0, "metro_p50": 52783.2, "metro_p75": 58348.5, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 55908.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Account Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 59970.25, "metro_p50": 84219.0, "metro_p75": 94842.75, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 94009.4, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Warehouse Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 70000.0, "metro_p50": 70000.0, "metro_p75": 70000.0, "metro_trend_direction": null, "metro_trend_magnitude": null, "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Business Analyst", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 76181.0, "metro_p50": 93408.8, "metro_p75": 103094.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 98302.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}], "industry_snapshot": [{"sector": "Construction", "median_pay": 50345.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Manufacturing", "median_pay": 47891.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Retail Trade", "median_pay": 35205.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities", "median_pay": 45041.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Information", "median_pay": 55856.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Financial Activities", "median_pay": 49920.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Professional & Business Services", "median_pay": 69108.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Education & Health Services", "median_pay": 69129.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"sector": "Leisure & Hospitality", "median_pay": 26812.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Government", "median_pay": 66907.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}], "citations": [{"source_name": "Idaho Department of Labor", "source_url": null, "statement": "Pocatello MSA nonfarm jobs rose 0.2% MoM, fell 1.0% YoY"}, {"source_name": "Idaho Department of Labor", "source_url": null, "statement": "Bannock County unemployment at 3.8%, labor force 41,101"}, {"source_name": "Idaho State Journal", "source_url": null, "statement": "Premier Technology nuclear facility expansion, 40-50 jobs"}, {"source_name": "Idaho State Journal", "source_url": null, "statement": "Amy's Kitchen Pocatello layoff of 49 workers"}, {"source_name": "Idaho Department of Labor", "source_url": null, "statement": "South-Central Idaho postings down 22% YoY, wages $30.46 to $22.95"}, {"source_name": "Idaho Department of Labor", "source_url": null, "statement": "Swire Coca-Cola consolidating distribution near Idaho Falls"}], "methodology": "Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay.", "edition_label": "November 2026", "files": {"html": "pocatello-id-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.html", "pdf": "pocatello-id-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.pdf", "sources_html": "pocatello-id-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.sources.html"}, "published_at": "2026-11-03T08:28:24.438105+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/pocatello-id-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/pocatello-id-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.pdf"}