PRO: Evolving industries
From 2015 to 2024, Bonner County saw a shakeup in employment among its top industries, with jobs shrinking 5.4% in the manufacturing sector and rising 56.4% in the accommodation and food services category. Source: Idaho Department of Labor Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Chart by ERIC WELCH
As Sandpoint and Bonner County’s populations have grown in recent years, several local industries are employing more residents than ever. Data collected through the Idaho Department of Labor’s Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages depict employment trends in specific industries and offer insight into North Idaho’s business climate.
Largest industries, 2015-2024
Among the information sourced in the census is the average quarter one employment among private businesses in Bonner County. The Department of Labor categorizes the businesses by sector; four industries held the top four spots in the county each year from 2015 to 2024: manufacturing, healthcare and social assistance, retail trade, and accommodation and food services.
During the decade, average employment in the healthcare and social assistance, retail trade, and accommodation and food services industries grew 14.0%, 20.5% and 56.4%, respectively. For manufacturing, employment rose 2015-2018 before dropping off, resulting in an overall 2015-2024 contraction of 5.4%
At private businesses across all industries, average quarter one employment in Bonner County rose 30.0% from 2015 to 2024, which essentially mirrors the U.S. Census Bureau’s estimate of a 29.8% population increase during the same period.
Over the course of the decade, employment ticked up in each year until the metric plateaued in 2022. Average quarter one employment at private businesses rose only 0.6% 2022-2024, compared to a 5.0% estimated population increase.
Largest employers in 2023
The Idaho Department of Labor also compiles and releases information about individual employers across the state. 2023 data published in the Department of Labor’s January 2025 Bonner County Labor Force and Economic Profile indicate that seven entities employ at least 250 people in the county.
Bonner County’s largest employer — and the only one with at least 500 employees — was Lake Pend Oreille School District. The remaining six top organizations had workforces with between 250 and 499 employees. The group included the county government and Bonner General Hospital, along with four private companies: Litehouse Foods, Schweitzer, Walmart and Kodiak Aircraft.