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A labor force of 1,469: who signs the paychecks in St. Anthony
A labor force of 1,469
Before a floor plan or a spec sheet, the honest question about any town is economic: who works here, and what do the paychecks look like? The comprehensive plan’s economic development chapter answers with 2020 census figures — 1,469 people in St. Anthony’s labor force, about 53 percent of the population age 16 and older, with 6.5 percent of the workforce reporting they were unemployed. The base is old and plain: an economy “traditionally been based largely on agriculture and natural resources,” much of it small privately owned businesses serving the local population.
Government has always paid a large share of local wages — the plan lists the St. Anthony Work Camp, the Juvenile Corrections Center, the Five County Detention Center, and the United States Forest Service — and growth in nearby Teton Valley, Rexburg, and Island Park has put many local residents to work in construction and recreation.
The pay scale, quoted exactly
“The mean and median household income that year was $52,169 and $42,551 respectively, while the per capita income was $17,596. By contrast, the average per capita income in the United States in 2020 was $38,332, and the state of Idaho’s average was $33,841.”
— City of St. Anthony Comprehensive Plan, ch. 4, Economic Development (2023). Retrieved 28 September 2026
That is the number a builder should sit with: local per-capita income runs at roughly half the Idaho average and well under half the national one. At the time, 23.6% of St. Anthony’s families were considered as living below the poverty level. The affordability math for a custom home in Fremont County starts here, not at the national headlines.
Where the paychecks come from
The plan’s employment-by-industry table for 2020, largest first:
| Industry | Share of employment |
|---|---|
| Educational services, and health care and social assistance | 19.6% |
| Retail trade | 16.5% |
| Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services | 10.6% |
| Manufacturing | 10.5% |
| Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services | 8.9% |
| Construction | 7.6% |
| Transportation and warehousing, and utilities | 6.7% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining | 6.0% |
| Public administration | 4.8% |
| Other services, except public administration | 3.6% |
| Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing | 2.8% |
| Information | 1.3% |
| Wholesale trade | 1.2% |
The single biggest block is “educational services, healthcare, and social services” at almost one fifth of resident employment, followed by retail trade at 16.5%. By class of worker, over 80% of the workforce reported they were employed as private wage and salary earners in 2020, with 13.7% employed by government and 5.6% self-employed.
The 2008 strategy and the bets it placed
Fremont County adopted an Economic Development Strategy in 2008, prepared by Dr. Richard Gardner. As part of it, meetings, training, and workshops were held in the individual communities — and St. Anthony’s workshop attendees ranked the most promising directions (averaged medium-to-high potential out of 21 options). Their list ran from a bedroom community role and value-added agriculture through business retention and expansion, entrepreneurship development, pass-through visitor services, and destination tourism to attracting retirees and “lone eagles” — young amenity in-migrants who are self-employed with portable jobs.
A recent online questionnaire in the plan revisited the list, and the top responses narrowed to business retention and expansion, entrepreneurship development, pass-through services, destination tourism, and value-added agriculture. Respondents also suggested gaps a builder might note: more restaurants, and an indoor recreation area for sports and winter activities, large enough to host a banquet.
The industrial park: 29 lots, sold
The chapter’s concrete proof of economic optimism sits south of the St. Anthony Stanford Field Airport and the county fairgrounds: the St. Anthony Business and Industrial Park, created through a partnership between the City and The Development Company of Rexburg. It includes 29 lots with city water and sewer services, natural gas, electricity, cable, and phone lines, zoned with a mix of the city’s commercial zones for a mixture of businesses, warehouses, craft shops, and manufacturing incidental to retail and wholesale establishments.
The plan’s status line matters: “These lots have now sold and are beginning to be developed.” Much of the land in the impact area to the south is flagged for commercial potential, because access to State Highway 20 and proximity to rail lines can capture traffic from that transportation network.
Before you bet a floor plan on the local economy
- Price the plan against Fremont County incomes, not national ones — per capita $17,596 locally against $33,841 statewide and $38,332 nationally is the working spread.
- Weigh where your buyer’s paycheck likely comes from: nearly a fifth of local employment is education, health care, and social assistance, and another sixth is retail.
- Watch the south-of-town commercial lane — the airport, Highway 20 frontage, and rail are the plan’s own growth logic.
- Remember the demand the plan records but nobody has built: restaurants and an indoor recreation-banquet venue.
- Then line the economics up against your lot questions: (208) 656-1745.
The paycheck chapter connects straight to the rest of the plan: the population it pays, the streets and rail it moves on, the airport overlay that shadows the industrial park, and the zoning permit that turns any of these bets into a building.
Common questions
How many people are in St. Anthony's labor force?
According to 2020 census figures cited in the comprehensive plan, 1,469 people in St. Anthony were in the labor force - about 53 percent of the population age 16 and older - with 6.5 percent of the workforce reporting they were unemployed.
What is the per capita income in St. Anthony?
The 2020 per capita income for the city was $17,596. By contrast, the average per capita income in the United States that year was $38,332, and Idaho's average was $33,841. Local income runs at roughly half the statewide figure.
What is the median household income in St. Anthony?
The plan reports 2020 mean and median household income of $52,169 and $42,551 respectively. At the same time, 23.6% of St. Anthony's families were considered as living below the poverty level.
What are the biggest employment industries in St. Anthony?
Educational services, and health care and social assistance led at 19.6% of employment in 2020, followed by retail trade at 16.5%, arts, entertainment, recreation, and accommodation and food services at 10.6%, and manufacturing at 10.5%. Construction accounted for 7.6%.
How many people work in construction in St. Anthony?
Construction accounted for 7.6% of employment in the 2020 industry breakdown. The plan also notes that due to increased growth in nearby Teton Valley, Rexburg, and Island Park, many local residents are employed in construction and recreation.
Who are the major government employers in St. Anthony?
The plan lists the St. Anthony Work Camp, the Juvenile Corrections Center, the Five County Detention Center, and the United States Forest Service. Government provided many jobs traditionally; in 2020, 13.7% of the workforce was employed by government.
What is the St. Anthony Business and Industrial Park?
A partnership between the City of St. Anthony and The Development Company of Rexburg, located south of Stanford Field Airport and the county fairgrounds. It includes 29 lots with city water and sewer, natural gas, electricity, cable, and phone - and the plan reports the lots have now sold and are beginning to be developed.
Who prepared Fremont County's Economic Development Strategy?
Fremont County adopted an Economic Development Strategy in 2008, prepared by Dr. Richard Gardner. Workshops in individual communities including St. Anthony identified promising areas, with an averaged medium-to-high potential picked from 21 options.
What economic opportunities did St. Anthony residents identify?
In the 2008 workshops: bedroom community, value-added agriculture, business retention and expansion, entrepreneurship development, pass-through visitor services, destination tourism, and more. A recent questionnaire's top responses were business retention and expansion, entrepreneurship development, pass-through services, destination tourism, and value-added agriculture.
What businesses does the plan say St. Anthony is missing?
Questionnaire responses suggested additional restaurants and an indoor recreation area for sports and other winter activities, large enough to host a banquet, may be economic opportunities that would work well for the community.