Butte County, Idaho Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Butte County, ID Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 76% of counties in Idaho
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C
Income Below average
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Butte County | Idaho Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 2,683 | 1,929,983 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1.2 | 23.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.44% | 2.12% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.0 | 38.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 1,073 | 712,816 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Butte County declined by 3.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 2,683 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Butte County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 22.6% of residents. That is 6.6 points above Idaho as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 461 17.2% -5.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 488 18.2% -2.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 540 20.1% +0.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 607 22.6% +6.6 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Idaho, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 49.6% of the people living in Butte County and men 50.4%.
- Women 49.6% Idaho 49.6%
- Men 50.4% Idaho 50.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Butte County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Butte County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Butte County | Idaho Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $52,808 | $78,141 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.06% | 5.97% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.4% | 3.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Butte County is about 32% lower than in Idaho.
Housing
| Metric | Butte County | Idaho Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $225,000 | $394,140 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $608 | $1,236 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 77.5% | 72.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Butte County is about 30.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $608 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Butte County spend about 28 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 116 hours, about 4.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Butte County | Idaho Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 13.9 | 18.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 27.8 | 35.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 116 | 150 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $3,591 | $4,641 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 16.0% | 13.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | — | 4,714 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 245 | 865 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Idaho:
Custer County (8.9 min), Lemhi County (11.6 min), Madison County (12.0 min).
Slowest:
Camas County (49.5 min), Boise County (38.0 min), Lincoln County (32.0 min).
The average commute time in Butte County is 14 minutes, shorter than the 18 minutes in Idaho.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Butte County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Butte County | Idaho Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 15.4% | 27.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.48 | 2.64 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Idaho:
Latah County (0.4), Teton County (0.3), Ada County (0.3).
Lowest:
Clark County (0.1), Owyhee County (0.2), Lincoln County (0.2).
Health
Butte County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Butte County | Idaho Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.3 | 79.5 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.8% | 15.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.8% | 17.6% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Idaho:
Madison County (0.8), Latah County (0.8), Ada County (0.8).
Lowest:
Shoshone County (0.8), Washington County (0.8), Lincoln County (0.8).
Butte County, ID Compared With Nearby Counties
Butte County, ID is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 2,683 residents against a local median of 29,052. The measure that sets Butte County, ID apart most is median household income: $52,808, 36% below the local median of $81,886. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $225,000 against a local median of $304,529, 26% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: commute runs ahead of the neighbourhood while median household income runs behind it, so Butte County, ID is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread $21,803 on median household income, so Butte County, ID sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Butte County, ID has the 5th highest median household income of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butte County, ID | 2,683 | $52,808 #5/5 | $225,000 #3/5 | 13.9 min #1/5 |
| Blaine County, ID | 24,952 | $91,552 | $1,772,727 | 14.0 min |
| Jefferson County, ID | 33,153 | $86,175 | $169,582 | 22.1 min |
| Bingham County, ID | 49,662 | $77,597 | $439,475 | 18.3 min |
| Minidoka County, ID | 22,208 | $69,748 | $48,747 | 16.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Butte County, Idaho.
How many people live in Butte County, Idaho?
About 2,683 people live in Butte County, Idaho, in 1,073 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 41.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Butte County, Idaho urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Butte County, Idaho has 1 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 1% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Butte County, Idaho?
The median home costs 4.3 times the median household income ($225,000 against $52,808), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $608 a month takes about 14% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Butte County, Idaho?
15.4% of adults in Butte County, Idaho hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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