Idaho energy profile

Manufacturing energy costs in Idaho

The current industrial power rate in Idaho is 9.02 cents per kWh (Jul 2026, EIA), ranking 19 of 51 states and sitting 7.7% below the national average.

Current prices in Idaho

  • Industrial electricity: 9.02 cents per kWh (Jul 2026, EIA).
  • Commercial electricity, the rate a warehouse or distribution center in Idaho typically pays: 10.16 cents per kWh.
  • Industrial natural gas: 4.3 per Mcf (Jul 2026), 6.1% below the national average.
  • Just below Idaho on the price ladder: Kansas at 8.52, Wyoming at 8.62, Oregon at 8.92 cents. Just above: Utah at 9.1, Indiana at 9.16, Florida at 9.17 cents.

What the rate does to operating cost

  • A 10 kW machine running a 4,000 hour year costs about 3,608 in electricity at Idaho rates versus 3,908 at the national average; at 50 kW the gap is 18,040 versus 19,540, and at 200 kW it is 72,160 versus 78,160.
  • Idaho sits mid-pack for power cost, so energy is neither a site-selection advantage nor a penalty. Estimates built on national averages will land close here, though demand charges and rate schedules still swing the real bill.

What factory labor pays in Idaho

  • Industrial production managers: $51.61/hr median in Idaho versus $60.61 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Industrial engineers: $48.48/hr median in Idaho versus $49.25 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Production supervisors: $34.08/hr median in Idaho versus $35.79 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Industrial machinery mechanics: $30.22/hr median in Idaho versus $31.02 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Machinists: $28.28/hr median in Idaho versus $28.24 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Tool and die makers: $27.79/hr median in Idaho versus $30.79 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Idaho employs about 78,000 manufacturing workers as of Aug 2026 (BLS).

Manufacturing base in Idaho

  • Idaho has 2,114 manufacturing establishments employing about 68,249 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).
  • Largest sectors by establishment count: fabricated metal products (432), food manufacturing (283), wood product manufacturing (211), machinery manufacturing (141), machine shops (133).

Sources and update cadence

  • Prices come from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and refresh automatically when the agency publishes; this page also archives each month's Idaho observation so the local price history deepens over time.

Last reviewed 2026-09-30.