By Zach Hagadone
Reader Staff
Riding a surge in population from 2021 to 2023, there are now more than 2 million people living in Idaho, according to numbers reported Dec. 19 from the U.S. Census Bureau. In addition, Idaho added a higher percentage of non-farm jobs than any other state from 2023-2024.
In a news release Dec. 20 from the Idaho Department of Labor, Census figures show the state saw population increases of 3% and 2.1% in 2021 and 2022, respectively, followed by 1.4% in 2023. That left the population at 1,971,122. But new data show that 2024 saw an increase of 1.5%, bringing the number of residents to 2,001,619 as of July 1, 2024.
Meanwhile, the Labor Department reported that the state’s labor force rose by 3,188 workers to 996,574, while total employment increased by 2,537. 
Overall, Idaho added 3,700 non-farm jobs during the year, with the top five biggest industry gains being in finance and insurance; durable goods manufacturing; real estate, rental and leasing; construction; and federal government.
Those increases accounted in large part for a 3.1% growth in non-farm jobs, ranked first in the nation by percentage gain.
Meanwhile, with a year-over-year increase of 30,497, Idaho’s annualized 2024 population growth rate of 1.5% ranks it seventh in the nation and a full half percentage point greater than the national growth rate of 1% during the same period.
The Gem State’s pace of population growth is even stronger compared to the West as a whole (0.9%), as well as surrounding states Montana (0.5%), Oregon (0.41%), Washington (1.3%) and Wyoming (0.4%).
The Labor Department reported that, among its neighbors, the only states with higher growth rates were Utah (1.8%) and Nevada (1.7%).
Perhaps coming as no surprise, the Census Bureau’s analysis of the components of residential population increase indicates that the large majority of growth has come from net migration. Natural population growth in the state — which is defined as the number of births minus the number of deaths — totaled only 6,195 people.
“The remaining growth, totaling 24,282 people, was from the movement of new residents into the state,” the Labor Department stated. “This total consisted of residents who were from other U.S. states (more than two-thirds of the population), with the remainder coming from international migration.”
Overall, from 2020 to 2024, 73.3% of Idaho’s population growth came from net migration from other U.S. states. Natural growth accounted for 13.3% of growth, and international migration totaled 13.4%.
“The 2024 estimates confirm the continuation of this broader pattern, with domestic migration contributing the bulk of the population growth relative to natural growth and international migration,” the Labor Department stated.
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