Idaho population growth slowing but still strong; Ada County strongest, likely to pick up legislative district…

Lawmakers on the joint Economic Outlook Committee began their work today by going over their information packet, which is online here . It’s packed with information about Idaho’s economy, from 10-year trends in state economic indicators to population by county, and from gross state product by industry and unemployment and wage trends to the history of property and sales tax collections. Among the info: Idaho’s population growth from 2010 to 2015 was still strong, but was below the level of the two previous decades; Ada County gained 41,846 residents during those five years, putting it very close to picking up another legislative district (about 47,000 residents), while Bannock County grew by only 905 residents, setting it up to potentially lose one when the next redistricting occurs.

As for gross state product by industry, the top performer from 2005 to 2015 was real estate, rental and leasing, followed by state, federal and local government. In third place was manufacturing; in fourth, retail trade, closely followed by health care.