The Honest LocalA community forum for neighbors
Movers’ Report · Idaho week of September 18, 2026

Boise's jobless rate drops to 3.3% while gas climbs past $4.85 statewide

Idaho's unemployment rate eased to 3.6% even as pump prices jumped almost 3% in a month.

By The Honest Local · every number links to its public source · 9 readings across 2 places
−0.2ptsunemployment rate in Boise, Idaho, 3.5% to 3.3%BLS · Jul 2026
Boise, Idaho
Boise, Idaho, where this week’s biggest move landed.
The movers largest changes this period, with source and date

If you work in Boise, you're in better shape than you were last month. Unemployment there fell 0.2 points, from 3.5% to 3.3%, per BLS. That's a real move, not noise. Statewide it's the same story on a smaller scale, down 0.1 points to 3.6%.

Now the bad part. Gas got more expensive everywhere in Idaho. AAA has the state average at $4.85 a gallon, up from $4.72. Boise's paying $4.86 at the pump, up from $4.76. So your commute costs more right as your job odds got a little better. Both things are true at once, and you should budget for both.

Rent in Boise ticked up too. Zillow's got it at $1,919, up from $1,904. Small move, but it adds up over a year of paying it every month. Home prices in Boise are basically flat, Zillow's typical value at $493,522, barely up from $491,354.

Listing prices actually softened a touch, both in Boise and across the state. Boise's median listing price sits at $615,000, down from $617,750, per realtor.com. Statewide it's $599,000, down from $602,700. Sellers aren't asking for quite as much right now, even if what buyers end up paying hasn't budged much.

  • Boise's unemployment rate fell 0.2 points to 3.3% in July 2026, per BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics.
  • Idaho's regular gas price rose 2.8% to $4.85 a gallon as of September 17, 2026, per AAA's state average.
  • Idaho's unemployment rate fell 0.1 points to 3.6% in July 2026, per BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics.
  • Boise's regular gas price rose 2.0% to $4.86 a gallon as of September 17, 2026, per AAA's state average.
  • Boise's median rent rose 0.8% to $1,919 in August 2026, per Zillow's Observed Rent Index.
  • Idaho's median listing price fell 0.6% to $599,000 in August 2026, per realtor.com.
  • Boise's median listing price fell 0.4% to $615,000 in August 2026, per realtor.com.
  • Boise's typical home value rose 0.4% to $493,522 in August 2026, per Zillow's Home Value Index.
How this report is built. Every figure comes from a public series read this week: Zillow’s rent and home value indexes, FRED’s listing price series from realtor.com, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ local unemployment rates, and AAA’s state gas averages. The prose is drafted from those readings and checked number by number against them before it publishes. Unemployment moves are shown in percentage points. Nothing here is a forecast.
Sources and method
  1. AAA, ID state average · Regular gas
  2. FRED / realtor.com, series MEDLISPRI14260 · Listing price
  3. Zillow Observed Rent Index · Median rent
  4. Zillow Home Value Index · Home value
  5. BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics · Unemployment
  6. FRED / realtor.com, series MEDLISPRIID · Listing price
  7. Zillow Home Value Index (state) · Home value

The Honest Local publishes a Movers’ Report for each state it covers, weekly, from public data. Readings that go stale are dropped, not carried. Every value on this page carries its source in the page’s structured data.