Gem County, Idaho Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Gem 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 80% of counties in Idaho
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 72% of counties in Idaho
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D
Education Well below averageLess educated than 70% of counties in Idaho
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Gem County | Idaho Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 20,614 | 1,929,983 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 36.5 | 23.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 2.56% | 2.12% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.0 | 38.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 7,640 | 712,816 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Gem County grew by 26.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 20,614 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Gem County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 23.6% of residents. That is 7.6 points above Idaho as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,891 18.9% -4.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,614 17.5% -3.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,074 19.8% +0.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,863 23.6% +7.6 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 49.5% of the people living in Gem County and men 50.5%.
- Women 49.5% Idaho 49.6%
- Men 50.5% Idaho 50.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Gem County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Gem County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Gem County | Idaho Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $65,574 | $78,141 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.19% | 5.97% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.9% | 3.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Gem County is about 16% lower than in Idaho.
Housing
| Metric | Gem County | Idaho Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $112,500 | $394,140 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,038 | $1,236 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 76.0% | 72.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Gem County is about 9.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,038 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Gem County spend about 61 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 252 hours, about 10.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Gem County | Idaho Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 30.3 | 18.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 60.5 | 35.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 252 | 150 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,816 | $4,641 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.5% | 13.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 9,234 | 4,714 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,290 | 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 Gem County is 30 minutes, longer 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
Gem County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Gem County | Idaho Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 20.8% | 27.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.66 | 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
Gem County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Gem County | Idaho Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.5 | 79.5 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.0% | 15.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.5% | 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).
Gem County, ID Compared With Nearby Counties
Gem County, ID is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 20,614 residents against a local median of 250,790. The measure that sets Gem County, ID apart most is median home price: $112,500, 69% below the local median of $362,701.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 30.3 min against a local median of 20.2 min, 50% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 50% above the local median it puts Gem County, ID at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves sit within $131,089 of each other on median home price, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Gem County, ID, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Gem County, ID has the 4th highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gem County, ID | 20,614 | $65,574 #4/4 | $112,500 #4/4 | 30.3 min #4/4 |
| Payette County, ID | 26,771 | $67,405 | $354,910 | 17.7 min |
| Canyon County, ID | 250,790 | $76,988 | $362,701 | 23.2 min |
| Ada County, ID | 518,902 | $92,349 | $485,999 | 20.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Gem County, Idaho.
How big is Gem County, Idaho by population?
About 20,614 people live in Gem County, Idaho, in 7,640 households of 2.7 people on average. The median age is 42.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
How densely populated is Gem County, Idaho?
Averaged over its land area, Gem County, Idaho has 37 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 42% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Gem County, Idaho an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 1.7 times the median household income ($112,500 against $65,574), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,038 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Gem County, Idaho?
Unemployment in Gem County, Idaho is only 2.9%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How common is a college degree in Gem County, Idaho?
20.8% of adults in Gem County, Idaho hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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