Research
Conducting evidence-based research
The McClure Center for Public Policy Research conducts and publishes research on public policy and public affairs issues that impact the state, the region and the nation. Public policy is only as effective as the information, research and analysis upon which it is based. The McClure Center’s goal is to be a credible source for such research and analysis.
The McClure Center produces independent, neutral research with integrity. All McClure Center publications contain no policy recommendations.
Policy briefs
The McClure Center’s signature publication is Idaho at a Glance. This short-form policy brief is intended to be clear and concise, with a focus on Idaho-specific information. Idaho at Glance conveys independent, evidence-based policy research that can inform public policy and dialogue. Even the shape and paper of the printed Idaho at a Glance serve a communication purpose.
Idaho at a Glance began in 2003 with Priscilla Salant. She created Rural Idaho at a Glance while at the University of Idaho College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and University of Idaho Extension. The publication evolved over the years and when Priscilla became director of the McClure Center, Idaho at a Glance found a permanent home.
Over the years, McClure Center research staff, and even McClure Center legal externs and student interns, have authored Idaho at a Glance policy briefs.
Recent Idaho at a Glance have covered wastewater and drinking water infrastructure in Idaho, refugees in Idaho, the unauthorized immigrant workforce and Idaho’s economy, Idaho’s economy and climate change and Idaho rangelands.
Wastewater and Drinking Water Systems in Idaho (2025)
This Idaho at a Glance focuses on domestic wastewater and drinking water systems and excludes industrial systems, except where specified.
Read the policy brief (PDF)
Population Change in Idaho (2025)
This Idaho at a Glance explores Idaho’s population growth and migration trends.
Read the policy brief (PDF)
Refugees in Idaho (2024)
This Idaho at a Glance offers information on U.S. refugee policies and refugees in Idaho.
Read the policy brief (PDF)
Unauthorized Immigrants and Idaho's Economy (2024)
This Idaho at a Glance details how unauthorized immigrants contribute to Idaho’s economy through their work in industries such as agriculture, services and construction, as well as through their everyday spending.
Read the policy brief (PDF)
Research Reports
Long-form research reports provide in-depth data and analysis for technical experts as well as non-technical audiences. Addressing research questions with detailed methods supports evidence-based public policy and dialogue.
Wastewater and Drinking Water Systems in Idaho (2025)
This report describes the current landscape of wastewater and drinking water systems in Idaho, including infrastructure needs, growth and the workforce. The focus is on systems that treat wastewater from and provide drinking water for domestic uses and excludes industrial systems, except where specified.
The Unauthorized Immigrant Workforce and Idaho’s Economy (2024)
This report describes Idaho’s unauthorized workforce and how their work, spending and taxes relate to Idaho’s economy.
The McClure Center examined existing data and research on unauthorized immigrants, both nationally and in Idaho. The most recent data on the number of unauthorized immigrants in the United States and Idaho are from 2021, with more detailed data only available for earlier years.
This report summarizes conclusions from existing data and does not update estimates or collect new quantitative data. It integrates perspectives and up-to-date information on Idaho’s unauthorized workforce from Idaho professionals in agriculture, dairy and hospitality industries.
Girls and Women in Idaho – Economics, Health and Leadership (2022)
This landscape analysis is the first to summarize economics, health and leadership specific to girls and women in Idaho. It explores wealth, debt, wages, education, employment, caregiving, health, poverty and low-income, housing, interpersonal and intimate partner violence, incarceration and leadership.
This report was created with funding from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant 6 NUF2CE002504-04-01. Part of this grant is designed to identify target populations and communities experiencing disparities related to the social determinants of health. Grantees are required to identify target populations to be served by the grant, including, but not limited to “race, ethnicity, gender identify, sex, sexual orientation, geography, socioeconomic status, disability status, primary language and health literacy.”
Early Childhood Care and Education in Idaho (2020)
This Needs Assessment is designed to help Idaho policymakers, administrators and stakeholders learn more about children and families in Idaho, their early childhood care and education (ECCE) needs and the quality and availability of the supports and services that allow Idaho’s families and children to thrive. This is the first comprehensive assessment of early childcare needs, the quality and availability of ECCE and the barriers that prevent Idaho children from achieving early literacy and early learning skills they need to succeed in school and life.
The Needs Assessment was part of federal grant #90TP0077-01-00 and submitted to the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children (Idaho AEYC) and Idaho’s Early Childhood Advisory Council.
Economic Impacts of SMRs (2019)
This economic analysis measures estimated impacts arising from the manufacturing and construction of the NuScale 12-pack Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) within the regional economy of eastern Idaho. Utilizing studies of the regional extent of employment, purchasing and other activities at the proposed Idaho National Laboratory (INL) site, the research estimates fiscal and economic impacts.
Specifically, this study employs IMPLAN, the most widely used economic impact analysis model in the United States, to estimate the increased output (sales), gross regional product, employment, employee compensation and tax revenues resulting from the construction and operations of the proposed project. The impacts estimated here are provided at the eastern Idaho regional economy level, which consists of Bannock, Bear Lake, Bingham, Bonneville, Butte, Caribou, Clark, Custer, Franklin, Fremont, Jefferson, Lemhi, Madison, Oneida, Power and Teton counties.
Community Impacts of Dairy Workers (2017)
This study updates the McClure Center’s 2009 analysis of how the dairy industry’s workforce impacts communities in Idaho’s south central region, commonly referred to as the Magic Valley. The region is home to about 70% of Idaho’s dairy cows and 10% of its residents. In the original study and in the update, we examine community impacts from a demographic, economic, and social perspective. Both studies were funded by grants from the Idaho Dairymen’s Association.
For the 2017 study, the McClure Center conducted 48 semi-structured interviews with experts and key informants selected based on their knowledge of the region, its communities, and the dairy industry. In addition to our interviews, we also analyzed secondary data from federal, state, and local sources. These data provide important context to help understand themes, trends, and patterns that emerge from qualitative interviews, and vice versa. Two key national trends form the context for this report. The first is a continuation of decades long structural change in the dairy industry, towards fewer and larger farms. The second is slowing growth in the Hispanic population, largely the result of lower birth rates (in both Mexico and the U.S.) and a decline in the number of Mexican immigrants entering the U.S.
McClure Center publication archive
The McClure Center’s breadth and depth of research provide Idaho with data and information that span decades.