Clearwater County, Idaho Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Clearwater 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.
-
C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 78% of counties in Idaho
-
D
Income Well below averageAmong the 3 least wealthy counties in Idaho
-
D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Clearwater County | Idaho Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 9,011 | 1,929,983 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 3.6 | 23.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.69% | 2.12% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 52.5 | 38.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 3,636 | 712,816 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Clearwater County grew by 10.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 9,011 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Clearwater County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 28.0% of residents. That is 12.0 points above Idaho as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,326 14.7% -8.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,581 17.5% -3.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,104 23.3% +4.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,525 28.0% +12.0 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 45.3% of the people living in Clearwater County and men 54.7%.
- Women 45.3% Idaho 49.6%
- Men 54.7% Idaho 50.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Clearwater County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Clearwater County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Clearwater County | Idaho Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $59,999 | $78,141 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.26% | 5.97% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.5% | 3.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Clearwater County is about 23% lower than in Idaho.
Housing
| Metric | Clearwater County | Idaho Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $168,751 | $394,140 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $874 | $1,236 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 82.9% | 72.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Clearwater County is about 16.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $874 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Clearwater County spend about 30 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 127 hours, about 5.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Clearwater County | Idaho Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 15.2 | 18.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 30.4 | 35.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 127 | 150 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $3,929 | $4,641 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.1% | 13.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 883 | 4,714 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 39 | 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 Clearwater County is 15 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
Clearwater County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Clearwater County | Idaho Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 17.2% | 27.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.27 | 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
Clearwater County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Clearwater County | Idaho Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.8 | 79.5 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.0% | 15.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.2% | 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).
Clearwater County, ID Compared With Nearby Counties
How Clearwater County, ID compares with the 1 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearwater County, ID | 9,011 | $59,999 #2/2 | $168,751 #2/2 | 15.2 min #1/2 |
| Latah County, ID | 41,044 | $65,983 | $307,459 | 15.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Clearwater County, Idaho.
How many people live in Clearwater County, Idaho?
About 9,011 people live in Clearwater County, Idaho, in 3,636 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 52.5, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 15 years.
How densely populated is Clearwater County, Idaho?
Averaged over its land area, Clearwater County, Idaho has 4 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 4% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Clearwater County, Idaho?
The median home costs 2.8 times the median household income ($168,751 against $59,999), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $874 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Clearwater County, Idaho?
17.2% of adults in Clearwater County, Idaho hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →