Idaho unemployment rate drops to 2.8%, among best in nation

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho’s unemployment rate dropped a tenth of a percent to 2.8% from September to October, making the state’s unemployment rate tied for fourth-best in the nation. The Idaho Department of Labor also said Friday that the state’s labor force grew by nearly 1,500 to more than 907,000. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says Idaho trails only Nebraska, Utah and Oklahoma in having the lowest unemployment rate. The agency says South Dakota and Vermont also have unemployment rates at 2.8%. Idaho officials say job numbers exceeded expectations in private educational services, arts, entertainment and recreation, manufacturing and state government.