Economic pulse
Boise metro jobs pulse: 416,900 nonfarm jobs and a 3.3% unemployment rate
A measured reading of the May 2026 Boise City–Nampa labor market, including the sectors gaining and losing jobs year over year.
Key takeaways
- The preliminary May 2026 unemployment rate was 3.3%, with 453,100 people in the labor force and 438,100 employed.
- Total nonfarm employment reached 416,900, up 0.5% from May 2025.
- The combined mining, logging, and construction supersector increased 3.1% year over year while leisure and hospitality declined 4.0%.
- Metro employment is a regional demand input; it does not establish rent, tenant quality, or absorption for a property.
The headline: low unemployment, modest payroll growth
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a preliminary, not-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate of 3.3% for the Boise City metropolitan area in May 2026. The labor force was 453,100; employment was 438,100; and unemployment was 15,100. Values are rounded in the source table and therefore may not reconcile perfectly when subtracted.
Total nonfarm employment was 416,900, 0.5% above May 2025. That is positive year-over-year growth, but it is not broad evidence of a boom. The sector detail shows a mixed labor market, with several service categories growing modestly and others contracting.
Sector detail matters more than one headline rate
The combined mining, logging, and construction supersector reached 40,100 jobs, up 3.1% year over year. Trade, transportation, and utilities reached 79,600, up 1.5%. Professional and business services reached 62,600, up 1.3%, and education and health services reached 67,300, up 1.2%.
Manufacturing employment was 31,000, down 0.6% year over year. Leisure and hospitality was 40,700, down 4.0%, while government employment was 53,100, down 1.7%. A flat total can therefore conceal meaningful changes in the employers and occupations supporting different renter and buyer groups.
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| Industry | Jobs | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|
| Total nonfarm | 416,900 | +0.5% |
| Mining, logging & construction | 40,100 | +3.1% |
| Manufacturing | 31,000 | −0.6% |
| Trade, transportation & utilities | 79,600 | +1.5% |
| Professional & business services | 62,600 | +1.3% |
| Education & health services | 67,300 | +1.2% |
| Leisure & hospitality | 40,700 | −4.0% |
| Government | 53,100 | −1.7% |
BLS values are preliminary and not seasonally adjusted. Job counts are reported in thousands in the source and displayed here as rounded job totals.
What the labor data can tell a housing reader
Employment supports household formation and the ability to pay for housing, so a labor-market review belongs in regional real estate research. Sector composition also matters: wage levels, employment stability, commute patterns, and the location of job centers can shape demand differently across the Valley.
The May release supports a cautious statement: the metro continued to add nonfarm jobs year over year while unemployment remained relatively low. It does not support a blanket statement that every city, rent band, or product type is strengthening. That requires household, wage, inventory, and property-level evidence.
How this enters underwriting
For a rental or development decision, Atlas uses the metro labor series as a background condition. The property review still needs submarket rents, concessions, vacancy, employer access, current supply, planned deliveries, and a tenant profile consistent with fair-housing law.
For land or commercial work, the direction of the combined mining, logging, and construction supersector and business-service employment may help frame timing, but it is not a construction-cost index or absorption forecast. Atlas keeps those assumptions separate and identifies the source used for each.
Method and limitations
This brief uses the BLS Economy at a Glance table for the Boise City metropolitan area. BLS labels the table data as extracted July 14, 2026; Atlas reviewed the record July 17, 2026. May 2026 figures are preliminary. Labor-force and industry values are not seasonally adjusted and may be revised.
BLS metropolitan geography is broader than any one city page. Atlas does not assign the regional rate to Boise, Meridian, Nampa, or another municipality as if it were a city-specific statistic.
Sources used in this report
Source 1 · Checked July 17, 2026
Boise City–Nampa Economy at a GlanceU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · May 2026 preliminary
Method note
Values were transcribed from the BLS Boise City–Nampa Economy at a Glance table. May 2026 values are preliminary, not seasonally adjusted, and subject to revision.