Pocatello rental demand rests on a steady base of Idaho State University students and staff, health care and public-sector jobs, and a housing supply that the city’s own 2026 housing plan describes as limited, with home building occurring at a slow rate. Against that, 2026 brought real headwinds: a semiconductor plant that closed after receivership, cuts at a major food manufacturer and a dip in metro employment, so owners need to read both sides of the picture.
This guide looks at who rents in Pocatello, which employers matter, what the city has said about its housing shortage, and what new supply is coming, using Census, State of Idaho, City of Pocatello and university sources along with local reporting where official data is not available.
Pocatello’s population and renter households
Pocatello is the seat of Bannock County in southeast Idaho. According to Census QuickFacts for Pocatello, the city had 56,320 residents in the April 2020 census and an estimated 58,771 on July 1, 2025, growth of a little over 4% in five years. The Idaho Department of Labor’s county profile estimates Bannock County’s 2025 population at 91,591.
QuickFacts shows an owner-occupied housing rate of 64.5% for 2020 to 2024, which means roughly 35.5% of occupied homes are rented. Median gross rent in that survey period was $948, and median household income was $60,418. Those figures describe a market where rents are modest by Western standards and where a large share of renters are students, early-career workers and households who cannot yet afford to buy.
Part of the reason the renter share is not higher is the shape of the housing stock. The city’s housing plan reports that 68% of housing is single-family, which means a meaningful share of rentals are houses rather than apartment units. That shapes competition: apartment owners compete not only with other complexes but with rented homes and duplexes.
Idaho State University’s role in Pocatello rental demand
Idaho State University is the largest employer in Bannock County, and its academic calendar sets the rhythm for a large part of Pocatello’s leasing. According to ISU’s fall 2025 enrollment announcement, total enrollment reached 13,933, up 6.6% and the highest since fall 2012, with 1,778 first-time undergraduates, an increase of 10.6%.
Two details matter for apartment owners reading those numbers:
- The total includes 3,530 dual-enrollment high school students, who take ISU courses but generally do not need student housing. The number of students actually seeking rentals is meaningfully smaller than the headline figure.
- ISU reported in October 2026 that fall 2026 enrollment fell 2.7%, to about 13,500, with fewer first-time undergraduates than in 2025. One softer year does not reverse the longer trend, but it is a reminder that student demand moves year to year.
ISU is also adding beds of its own. The university selected Radnor Property Group to build privately financed student housing on about five acres near Bartz Field, with roughly 350 to 370 beds in two- to five-bedroom units, according to ISU and East Idaho News. ISU has said it is not spending capital dollars on the project, and no opening date or rents had been set as of September 2026. When it opens, it will compete most directly with privately owned student-oriented apartments close to campus.
The city’s housing plan also notes that student housing is challenging because of a lack of affordable units, which suggests the new project addresses part of the gap rather than all of it.
The employers behind Pocatello’s renter base
Beyond the university, Pocatello’s renters work in health care, education, finance, manufacturing and government. The Idaho Department of Labor’s Bannock County profile lists the county’s largest employers in ranges. For 2025 it shows:
- Idaho State University: 2,500 to 4,999 employees.
- Pocatello School District, Idaho Central Credit Union and an entity listed as LHP Pocatello LLC: 1,000 to 2,499 each.
- Amy’s Kitchen, VTCU Corp and the City of Pocatello: 500 to 999 each.
- Walmart and LA Semiconductor: 250 to 499 each.
The list includes only employers that agreed to have their data published. Health care is also a major anchor: Portneuf Medical Center describes itself as a 205-bed hospital with about 1,600 employees. Idaho Central Credit Union’s place on the list also points to a sizable financial-services workforce in the area.
Heavy industry still plays a role. Simplot says its Don Plant fertilizer facility near Pocatello employs more than 400 people and marked its 80th anniversary in December 2024. Jobs like these add a non-student renter base that does not move on the academic calendar.
Industry mix, wages and commuting
The Idaho Department of Labor’s profile also shows what kinds of jobs Bannock County renters hold and what they earn, which helps explain where rents sit. In 2025, education and health services was by far the largest sector, with an average of 12,477 covered jobs, followed by trade, transportation and utilities at 6,669, leisure and hospitality at 4,460, professional and business services at 4,315, construction at 2,620 and manufacturing at 2,606. Covered employment has grown from 32,347 in 2015 to 38,204 in 2025.
Average annual wages vary widely by sector. The department lists 2025 averages of $68,697 in financial activities, $63,190 in construction, $62,859 in public administration, $61,305 in professional and business services and $59,039 in manufacturing, compared with $50,031 in education and health services and $19,758 in leisure and hospitality. Per capita personal income in the county rose from $32,728 in 2014 to $53,711 in 2024, according to Bureau of Economic Analysis figures reprinted in the profile.
Commuting patterns show that Pocatello is the region’s main job center but not a closed market. In 2023, about 18,846 jobs held by Bannock County residents were located in Pocatello, 3,654 in neighboring Chubbuck and 3,166 in Idaho Falls, about 50 miles to the north. That flow to Idaho Falls, home to employers tied to the Idaho National Laboratory, means some Pocatello renters choose the city for its lower housing costs while working elsewhere. The county’s median age of 35.2 in the 2024 American Community Survey is relatively young, which also supports rental demand.
2026 job losses owners should factor in
2026 has not been an easy year for Pocatello manufacturing, and owners underwriting rental demand should take that into account.
LA Semiconductor
The former onsemi wafer fabrication plant was sold to LA Semiconductor in December 2022. According to reporting by the Idaho State Journal, the plant later went into receivership, a February 2026 layoff notice covered 342 workers and the first layoffs took effect April 10, 2026. By late September 2026, the paper reported that the plant sat empty, no qualified bid had emerged and a transfer back to the lender was being negotiated. Those were relatively well-paid jobs, and their loss affects renters and would-be buyers alike.
Amy’s Kitchen
Amy’s Kitchen’s Pocatello plant remains open. Trade publication Just Food reported in September 2026 that the company is closing its Santa Rosa, California plant, making Pocatello its designated entrée facility, while moving canning to Medford, Oregon, a shift that eliminates 51 Pocatello jobs. The net effect on local employment will depend on how much entrée production moves to Pocatello.
What the labor data shows
The state’s numbers reflect that mixed picture. The Idaho Department of Labor reported a preliminary Bannock County unemployment rate of 3.8% in July 2026, with a labor force of 41,101, down from 4.3% in June 2026. Statewide, the rate was 3.6%. The department’s economic situation report for July 2026 showed Pocatello metro nonfarm jobs flat from the prior month and down 1.5% from a year earlier.
For the 2025 calendar year, the department counted an average of 38,204 jobs covered by unemployment insurance in Bannock County, up from 37,403 in 2024, with an average wage of $49,987. That growth came before the 2026 layoffs, so the 2026 average is likely to look different.
What the Pocatello Housing Plan says about supply
The supply side is where the strongest case for rental demand appears. The city adopted the Pocatello Housing Plan by resolution on July 2, 2026, after a citywide housing study. The plan’s findings include:
- The market has shifted toward rental housing.
- Demand will remain high, but supply is limited, especially of high-quality new construction.
- Home building in Pocatello is occurring at a slow rate.
- Community resistance to multifamily or missing-middle housing is a barrier.
- Most rental units are concentrated at the 60% of area median income price point.
- Homeownership was 63% in the American Community Survey for 2009 to 2023 and has been declining.
The plan also notes that median home value has climbed to around $335,000, and that the property tax bill on a median-value home rose from $1,152 in 2015 to $2,451 in 2025, an increase of 113%. Rising ownership costs push more households toward renting for longer.
To address the shortage, the plan recommends a toolbox approach that includes missing-middle housing types, accessory dwelling units, pre-approved home plans and exploring a housing trust fund. Those tools tend to add small-scale rentals over time rather than large apartment complexes, so they are unlikely to flood the market with competing units in the near term.
New apartment supply on the way
Large new apartment projects in Pocatello have been few, which is consistent with the plan’s description of slow construction. Projects in the public record include:
- Juniper Heights at 2151 South Second Avenue, planned by Horizon Property Management in four phases of 36 units, about 144 units in total. The Idaho State Journal reported in May 2026 that two phases were approved and the first was expected around August 2026, with the developer building a waiting list.
- The ISU and Radnor student housing project described above, with roughly 350 to 370 beds.
- A larger Northgate-area proposal by Ball Ventures announced in 2019 with 384 apartments and 20 townhomes near Chubbuck Road, whose current status should be checked before relying on it.
Because most rentals in the city are concentrated at lower price points, new projects that target either income-qualified households or students will compete with different parts of the existing stock. Owners of older market-rate buildings should look closely at which segment each new project is aimed at.
Idaho’s rules on rent levels
Idaho does not allow local rent control. Under Idaho Code section 55-306, cities and counties may not regulate the amount of rent, fees or deposits charged for private residential property. That means rent levels in Pocatello are set by the market and by lease terms, and the city’s housing tools focus on supply rather than price regulation.
For owners, the practical effect is that rental demand shows up directly in rents and occupancy. When the student population grows or new jobs arrive, rents can adjust at renewal, and when demand softens, as it may with the 2026 layoffs, concessions and longer vacancies are the main pressure valves.
Reading the signals as a Pocatello owner
Pocatello’s rental market has a stable foundation and some clear risks. A few practical points for owners and investors:
- Count students carefully. ISU’s headline enrollment includes thousands of dual-enrollment high school students, and fall 2026 enrollment slipped 2.7%.
- Watch new student beds. The Radnor project near Bartz Field will add direct competition for campus-adjacent units when it opens.
- Factor in the 2026 manufacturing losses. LA Semiconductor’s closure and the Amy’s Kitchen changes affect well-paid jobs and may soften demand for higher-priced units.
- Lean on the supply story. The city’s own plan describes slow construction, limited high-quality supply and a market shifting toward rentals.
- Know the segment. With most rentals priced around 60% of area median income, a building’s rents relative to that level say a lot about who it competes with.
- Plan for market-driven rents. Idaho law bars local rent control, so performance depends on leasing and operations.
Investors comparing small and mid-size markets like Pocatello with larger metros can find background in our guide to passive multifamily investing. Local context is also collected on our page about selling an apartment building in Pocatello, or explore other cities on our Idaho markets page.
