A sign advertises new homes going up outside of Boise.
New home sales took a dive in June, falling by more than 8 percent nationwide. That’s according to a report out this week from the Commerce Department. But that national trend doesn’t hold as true in the Boise area, which accounts for a large number of Idaho’s new home sales.
According to data from the Intermountain Multiple Listing Service, 120 new homes were sold in Ada County in June, a 9 percent decrease from May, when 131 new homes sold. Neighboring Canyon County saw an increase in new home sales in the same period — from 21 to 28 — which compensated for most of Ada County’s drop. Taken together, the counties saw a much less consequential 2.5 percent decrease in new home sales.
“I don’t think we’re hitting a stagnation point,” says Marc Lebowitz, of the Ada County Association of Realtors. “The limited availability is what is causing that slowdown.” Continue Reading →
The Annie E. Casey Foundation report puts Idaho 26th in terms of kids' economic well-being. Click on the image above to the state rankings.
Nearly a third of Idaho children live in households where neither parent has a secure, full-time job. That’s according to a new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Relying on 2010 data, the Kids Count numbers show an increasing percentage of Idaho children live in households where neither parent has reliable work — 31 percent in 2010, up from 26 percent in 2008.
Idaho Kids Count director Lauren Necochea looks to Idaho’s child poverty rate as an indicator of children’s economic well-being. That rate stood at 19 percent in 2010, compared to 14 percent in 2000. Necochea says that increase carries troubling implications for Idaho kids. “The increasing child poverty rates are concerning because of the long-term impacts,” she says. Continue Reading →
More people stayed in Idaho hotels, motels and campgrounds last year. That’s according to tax collection data provided by the Idaho State Tax Commission and Idaho Department of Commerce.
The state raked in more than $7 million during the last fiscal year which ended June 30. That’s an increase of almost 7 percent over fiscal year 2011.
The state keeps 2 percent of the lodging taxes paid at most hotels and campgrounds in Idaho. That money is then used for tourism promotion.
The dairy industry is the leader in Idaho's Magic Valley.
A new report from the University of Idaho touts the economic importance of agriculture in central Idaho’s Magic Valley.
Agribusiness exports directly or indirectly create a third of jobs in the six-county area, the U of I Extension analysis says. Those exports also directly or indirectly create two thirds of Magic Valley businesses’ sales, with the dairy processing industry contributing the largest share.
“Idaho is the third largest dairy state in the nation, and 70 percent of those cows are in the Magic Valley,” explains agricultural economist and report co-author Garth Taylor. Continue Reading →
If you watch much television, chances are, you’ve seen ads like this one luring people to visit Michigan…
The Pure Michigan ad campaign has been one of the most successful state tourism campaigns in the U.S. In fact, Idaho Division of Tourism director Karen Ballard says the Michigan campaign has become the poster child for the industry.
But in Idaho, where the Tourism Division’s annual budget is around $7 million, there isn’t that kind of cash to produce national television spots. Ballard says the average state tourism budget is more like $15 million. Continue Reading →
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Idaho reported job gains in construction, professional and business services, hotels and restaurant.
For the first time in almost three years, fewer than 60,000 Idahoans are out of work. That’s according to the latest jobless report by the Idaho Department of Labor. That figure doesn’t include Idahoans who’ve stopped looking for work or who are underemployed.
Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the month of June dropped one tenth of a percentage point from 7.8 to 7.7.
The Idaho state agency that monitors air and water quality has had to do more with less for a long time. Four years after the recession forced the state to slash funding for the Department of Environmental Quality, state support for the agency remains lower than it was back in 2003.
During the last legislative session, then-DEQ director Toni Hardesty told a key budget committee, “though our overall workforce is at its lowest level in over a decade, our workload definitely is not.” Continue Reading →
Six F-15C Eagle and F-15E Strike Eagles fly over the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho.
As federal lawmakers debate how to avoid falling off the looming fiscal cliff, a report commissioned for the Aerospace Industries Association shows Idaho could lose 10,411 defense-related jobs. The U.S. could face job losses totaling two million, according to the report.
Automatic budget cuts are scheduled to go into effect in January, unless lawmakers come up with a new plan.
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