COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) – The Coeur d'Alene Tribe, fueled by growth in its casino and resort, has emerged as one of the biggest employers in northern Idaho.

A new study by the University of Idaho finds the tribe employed 1,699 workers last year, and those jobs were divided among casino operations, tribal government and other business ventures.

“The real story here is the tribe's emergence as one of the region's largest employers,” said Steven Peterson, an economics professor who led the study. “They have diversified and expanded in all directions.”

The tribe trails Kootenai Health, the region's top employer and the parent company of the Kootenai Medical Center, and its cancer, heart and other medical clinics.

About 1,400 people work at the tribe's casino, resort hotel and the Circling Raven Golf Course in Worley, the study found. Tribal officials expect to hire another 200 workers in 2011 after the completion of a $75 million expansion of the casino and hotel complex.

Peterson estimated that the Coeur d'Alene Tribe has a $300 million annual impact on the region. The figure includes money the tribe spends on wages, purchases of goods and services and a multiplier effect of that money turning over in the local economy.

The study reported the tribe had $119 million in earnings and paid out $12.4 million in taxes. The tribe also donated $1.8 million toward education in 2009 and continues to donate 5 percent of gaming revenue toward education. Since 1993, the Tribe has donated nearly $14 million toward education.

The tribe also employs 82 workers at its government offices and Echelon, a company formerly known as Berg Manufacturing, which makes fuel bladders for the U.S. Army. The company is fulfilling orders on a $400 million contract with the Army.

“Gaming is our bread and butter, but the tribe wanted to diversify its economic interests,” Chief Allan, the tribe's chairman, said.

The study's tribal employment totals conflict with those recorded by the Idaho Department of Labor. The state agency, which calculates employment using a different formula, reports the tribe had 1,549 workers in 2009, compared to 1,813 at Kootenai Health.