Micron jobs, Micron Boise, Micron $50B Idaho
Most jobs linked to Micron's Idaho expansion will go to other firms, like builders and suppliers, not to Micron itself Thingreenline4546 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

A claim that Micron Technology will bring 17,000 jobs to Boise, Idaho, is spreading online again. Micron expects only about 3,500 of those jobs to be its own. The rest will go to builders, suppliers, and other firms tied to the memory chip maker's two new factories, and some may be outside Boise.

Micron is spending about $50B (about £37.5B) on the two plants, which chipmakers call fabs. The first should start making chips in mid-2027, and the second in late 2028, Micron boss Sanjay Mehrotra told investors in June. The company already has about 7,000 staff in the Boise area.

Why the Micron Jobs Claim Is Not New

An X account using the name of John F. Kennedy Jr., who died in 1999, presented Micron's Boise investment as breaking news this week. It credited Donald Trump and described experts as shocked by the plan. No report supports the shock claim, and the account also said news outlets ignore the project, although CNBC reported on it in detail in August. Those claims had drawn more than 70,000 views by Wednesday, as shown below.

Micron's first Boise plan came on 1 September 2022, weeks after Congress passed the CHIPS and Science Act under President Joe Biden. Its cost then stood at $15B (about £11.25B). Micron manager Moira Whalen told the Idaho Statesman at the time that about 2,000 of the expected roles would be with Micron in Boise. Most of the rest would go to suppliers and contractors, and not all of them in Boise.

What Micron Jobs Pay and Who Gets Hired

The project has since grown to two plants, and the federal government is backing Micron's US building programme with up to $6.2B (about £4.65B) from the CHIPS Act. For job seekers, pay is the next question. Job listings that mention Micron in Boise paid an average of $20.58 (about £15.44) an hour as of 13 September, according to ZipRecruiter. These averages come from advertisements rather than Micron, so they may include contractor roles.

ZipRecruiter lists equipment operators, process technicians, and manufacturing technicians among common entry-level Micron roles. Those jobs typically ask for a high school diploma, and new staff learn the factory tools. Skilled staff are already hard to find. Mehrotra said on the June call that the build faces a 'shortage of workers with critical trade skills.' Soon after the 2022 announcement, Micron launched an apprenticeship scheme for technicians during a visit by then Labor Secretary Marty Walsh.

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What Moving to Boise for Micron Could Cost

Speaking to CNBC, mortgage broker Gerald Robinson said 'there's been a 4.5% rise in homes sold above their list price' since last year. Idaho's population grew 10.4 per cent in the five years to 2025, the fastest of any state. Growth is also straining roads, utilities, and skilled trades around Boise, 24/7 Wall St reported.

Job seekers who cannot move west have another option. Micron is also planning a separate $100B (about £75B) campus in Clay, New York. For younger Idahoans, the company promised in 2022 to spend more on science and maths programmes in schools, with a focus on rural pupils.

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