Idaho Population 2024

1,990,456

Situated toward the northwestern edge of the United States, Idaho is one of the larger states in the country, and its population growth statistics are impressive as well. The last set of confirmed figures comes from the official Census of 2010 which declared that there were 1,567,582 people living in the state -- a rise of just over 20% on the numbers declared in 2000.

An updated estimate on those figures was released in 2011, and it was suggested that the population of Idaho had increased to 1,584,985, making it the 39th largest state in the US. As of the 2015 estimates, the population had increased to 1,654,930.

Idaho Area and Population Density

At a total surface area of 83,570 square miles, Idaho is the 14th biggest state in the country, and even without looking at population density figures, it’s already clear from a population of just over 1.6 million that Idaho must be a very sparsely populated state.

In fact, there are just 19 people for every square mile of land, and only six states in the US can claim a more sparsely populated landscape.

There are a number of reasons for this, mainly because parts of Idaho are inhospitable for permanent settlement. The Rocky Mountains dominate much of Idaho’s skyline and the state is also home to sprawling lakes.

The largest, most populated city, in Idaho is Boise, which is also the state's capital. The largest county by population is Ada, with over 400,000 individuals residing within.

Idaho Gender and Religion Statistics

The median age in Idaho is 35.7 years of age, and the state features a slight gender difference with 49.9% females and 50.1% males residing in the state.

In religious terms, the Idaho population comes in with 67% Christian based faiths, 4% non-Christian faiths, and 27% unaffiliated with any religion in particular.

Idaho Boundary, Census, and Statehood History

Idaho was part of Oregon Territory, definitively acquired in 1846, and was included in Washington Territory upon its establishment in 1853. Idaho became a separate territory in 1863, acquired essentially its present boundaries in 1868, and was admitted as a State on July 3, 1890. Census coverage of present-day Idaho virtually began in 1870, when nearly its whole area was included.

Idaho Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Idaho was:

  • White: 86.54%
  • Two or more races: 5.7%
  • Other race: 4.3%
  • Asian: 1.36%
  • Native American: 1.26%
  • Black or African American: 0.68%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.17%

Idaho’s Population History

Idaho is a relatively new addition to the list of US states, and the creation of the Idaho territory took place in 1863. The first recorded Idaho population came from the US Census of 1870 when it was shown that there were just 14,999 residents.

Ten years later in 1880, those numbers had more than doubled to 32,610, and similar increases were recorded throughout the remainder of the 19th century. Idaho joined the Union in 1890, and by the time of the 1900 Census, 161,772 citizens were residing in the new state.

Those huge increases started to slow down, but continued, steady growth throughout the 20th century has taken the Idaho population of 2016 over the 1.6 million mark.

Idaho Population Growth

In 2005 it was claimed that Idaho was the 6th fastest growing state in the US after natural growth figures were released. In the five years following the Census of 2000, that natural growth had led to a net increase of 58,884 citizens due to 111,131 births minus 52,247 deaths and a further increase in net migration added more than 75,000 new residents.

In 2016 Idaho was still growing at an impressive 1.22% per year, putting it 11th among the 50 states in growth rate, and drawing it closer to the 38th spot in overall population, currently held by West Virginia.

Idaho Population Projections

Can that growth be sustained? Idaho may have the space, but geography and a harsh landscape may suggest otherwise. Estimated figures for the 2020 population are expected to surpass 1.75 million people.

Idaho is considered one of the least diverse states in the nation. In fact, it is one of just 10 states that has a predominantly white population -- or a population that is more than 90% white. The top ancestries for residents in the state include German, English and Irish. The state's percentage of African Americans ranks as 48th out of 50 states, which shows the lack of diversity within Idaho.

Idaho has been one of the fastest-growing states in the nation, increasing its population by 55% in the period from 1990 to 2010. In 2015 alone over 75,000 residents moved from other states to Idaho. However, just over 14,000 people from outside of the United States migrated to Idaho. According to 2011 data, just over 27% of children under the age of 1 were classified as belonging to racial or ethnic minority groups.

Idaho Growth Rate

Idaho Population Rank

Idaho Population 2024

Idaho Facts

Population

50K

100K

150K

200K

250K

300K

350K

400K

450K

500K

Idaho Growth by County

The population of counties in Idaho is balanced pretty evenly, with some counties reflecting growth in population and others posting decreasing numbers. The 2010 Census numbers were compared to estimates taken by the US Census Bureau in 2015 to get the positive and negative growth rates of all Idaho counties. These numbers show that the southwestern county of Ada had the highest growth rate, recorded as 10.36%. Neighboring county Canyon saw a growth increase of 9.54%, while Kootenai along the western border also posted a high increase of 8.23%. Other counties, including Blaine, Lincoln, and Jerome posted smaller increases in population.

As far as decreasing population, a few Idaho counties posted significant drops, with Butte County recording the highest decline of over 14%. Its neighbors Clark County and Custer County also had decreases of 10.11% and 6.26%, respectively. Other counties including Fremont, Power, and Elmore are among the other areas that had declining populations during this 5-year period.

Idaho Population by County

Population by Race

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White1,567,79986.54%
Two or more races103,3105.7%
Other race77,8354.3%
Asian24,6161.36%
Native American22,7991.26%
Black or African American12,2420.68%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander3,0160.17%

White

Two or more races

Other race

Asian

Native American

Black or African American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Idaho Population by Race

Idaho Population Pyramid 2024

Idaho Median Age

36.8

Total

36.2

Male

37.4

Female

Idaho Adults

There are 1,352,787 adults, (287,098 of whom are seniors) in Idaho.

Idaho Age Dependency

70

Age Dependency Ratio

26.9

Old Age Dependency Ratio

43.1

Child Dependency Ratio

Idaho Sex Ratio

Female899,08849.63%
Male912,52950.37%

Idaho Population by Age

Idaho Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All657,1012.7171.728.3
Married361,6193.3183.716.3
Non Family208,1311.3456.943.1
Female57,3473.5356.143.9
Male30,0043.4959.540.5

3.26

Average Family Size

2.71

Average Household Size

71.7%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Idaho Households and Families

Male

Female

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Idaho Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Idaho Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 94.05%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 46.11%.

Idaho Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

$38,577

Average Earnings

$46,493

Average Male

$30,182

Average Female

Idaho Earnings by Educational Attainment

Idaho Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Idaho Language

89.23% of Idaho residents speak only English, while 10.77% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 8.07% of the population.

Idaho Language

Idaho Poverty by Race

rate

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White1,436,587145,08810.1%
Hispanic230,30038,33716.65%
Multiple101,74613,31613.09%
Other76,98113,04216.94%
Native21,7775,62325.82%
Asian24,2443,57514.75%
Black11,2662,76924.58%
Islander2,90693432.14%

11.37%

Overall Poverty Rate

10.22%

Male Poverty Rate

12.54%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Idaho

The race most likely to be in poverty in Idaho is Islander, with 32.14% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Idaho is White, with 10.1% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.82%. Among those working part-time, it was 15.25%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 16.99%.

Idaho Poverty

rate

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade18.7%
High School11.89%
Some College8.51%
Bachelors or Greater4.34%

Idaho Poverty Rate by Education

rate

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed26.77%
Male Unemployed23.69%
Female Employed7.89%
Male Employed5.45%

Idaho Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Idaho Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Idaho Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

54.2%

Overall Marriage Rate

54.5%

Male Marriage Rate

53.9%

Female Marriage Rate

Idaho Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Idaho Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.

Idaho Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Idaho Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

118,808

Number of Veterans

109,118

Male Veterans

9,690

Female Veterans

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Idaho Veterans by War

count

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Idaho Veterans by Age

count

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Idaho Veterans by Race

Idaho Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

6.03%

Veteran Poverty Rate

33.02%

Veteran Disability Rate

Idaho Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

63.2%

Labor Force Participation

60.3%

Employment Rate

4%

Unemployment Rate

Idaho Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Idaho Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Idaho Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

45.86%

Born in Idaho

94.24%

Native Born

5.76%

Foreign Born

3.26%

Non Citizen

2.5%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

94.24% of Idaho residents were born in the United States, with 45.86% having been born in Idaho. 3.26% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Idaho Place of Birth

  1. Idaho Department of Labor
  2. US Census State Population Estimates - Most recent state estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  3. US Census County Population Estimates - Most recent county estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  4. American Community Survey (2009 - 2013)
  5. Census QuickFacts
  6. Historical Populations of States and Counties (1790 - 1990)

Sources