Building will drive down housing costs

Attainable housing in Idaho is hard to find.

The median price of a single-family home in Kootenai County is around $545,000, based on the 724 homes that were sold through April.

For most working people, that is not even close to affordable. Because we don't expect the price of homes to come down because demand for housing remains strong, there is really only one way to put more affordable houses on the market: Build them.

That's why we're glad to see new information from the Idaho Department of Labor that shows Idaho led the nation in housing unit growth in 2025. While we may not all like to see growth, this is one area it is necessary and should not be delayed.

“Idaho’s nation-leading housing unit growth is no accident. We have prioritized permitting reform, cut red tape and invested in LAUNCH and other career training programs to grow the skilled workforce needed to meet demand," said Gov. Brad Little. "None of this progress would be possible without the hardworking men and women in Idaho’s construction and trade industries who are helping build stronger communities across our state."

But the work, as Little said, is far from over. Housing affordability and accessibility remain top concerns for Idaho families. Many can't afford to live here.

"We have more work to do to ensure the American dream remains within reach for the next generation," Little said.

The state is on the right track.

Let's take a look at the numbers.

According to the Idaho Department of Labor, Idaho’s housing unit estimates increased by 2.1%, or 17,000 dwellings in 2025, making it the fastest growth rate out of all states for the second consecutive year. 

From 2020-2025, Idaho increased its housing count by 12.3% while completing over 93,000 units. This is the second-highest rate of increase nationally, sitting behind Utah (12.9%) but ahead of Texas (10.4%). 

Idaho’s growth rate is more than two times the 5.3% reported for the U.S. Five of Idaho’s counties — Teton, Canyon, Ada, Bonneville and Kootenai — each increased available housing units by over 14% during this five-year period.

Idaho’s housing unit growth in 2025 ranged from an increase of one unit in Clark County to a high of 5,026 in Ada. The counties with the fastest housing unit growth rates were Teton (5%), Bonneville (4.4%) and Canyon (3.7%). Their growth rates ranked in the top 30 nationally for counties with at least 5,000 housing units and they were also Idaho’s fastest growing counties in the previous year of 2024, according to the release.

As much as many may oppose building more housing units in Idaho, we see it as a necessity that can't be avoided. If we hold fast to the status quo, more families will be forced to leave Idaho in search of a place they can afford to own a home. We would rather they stay here. Building more housing units does mean more people, but it should alleviate the high cost of housing and keep Idaho families where they belong.