Who Are the Top Employers in the Palouse Region?

Robert Hubner

The key employment sector in the Palouse region for many, many years has been agriculture, but that has recently shifted. 

“Area farms are still vital to our economy, but they have become very efficient these days with machinery and other factors, so they don’t need 110 people per farm to bring in their yields anymore,” says Rich French, executive director of One Palouse, a nonprofit organization focused on economic development for both Moscow and Pullman. 

With fewer workers in agriculture, French says the largest sectors for jobs in Moscow and Pullman are now in education and health care. 

“Our two largest employers are the University of Idaho and Washington State University,” he says. “They are major research campuses only 8 miles apart, and both are land-grant universities that have obligations to give back to the community. Both are very active in giving back.” 

In health care, major employers include Gritman Medical Center in Moscow, Idaho, and Pullman Regional Hospital in Pullman, Washington. Gritman Medical Center was established in 1897 and has clinics throughout Moscow, Potlatch, Kendrick and Troy, while Pullman Regional opened in 2004 and overlooks the Washington State University campus. 

Manufacturing & Recreation 

French says manufacturing is an industry that local leaders want to see grow jobs in Moscow and in Pullman.

A key manufacturer in Moscow is NRS, known nationwide for making kayak gear, raft supplies, life jackets and watersports equipment. Pullman is home to Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, which produces power system technologies for utilities and industries worldwide. 

French adds that the recreation industry is also doing well, thanks to attractions like hiking, boating, hunting and fishing, along with close proximity to Coeur d’Alene.