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Stats for Idaho:
Population: 1,655,000
2016 job growth: 3.5%
2015 job growth: 2.9%
New jobs in 2016: 23,580
New jobs in 2015: 19,200
Unemployment rate by year-end 2016: 3.8% Unemployment rate at year-end 2015: 4.0%
The Gem State is home to booming tech and aerospace industries, as well as military bases that boost spending in surrounding areas. And as Idaho attracts more residents from other states, companies both old and new are expanding here: wireless data company Cradlepoint is growing quickly in Boise, and agribusiness firm J.R. Simplot will hire 600 for a new processing plant in nearby Kuna.
There are plenty more opportunities: Micron Technology, a semiconductor manufacturer, will add 200 jobs in Boise when its plant expansion is completed in early 2017. Yogurt
maker Chobani is expanding its plant in Twin Falls. And American Food Equipment is building a new manufacturing facility in Caldwell. (The company, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, couldn’t find room to expand where it was, illustrating how restricted land availability and high cost of living in parts of California are causing companies to look to nearby states for expansion.)