In Bingham County, Idaho, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Bingham County, 16.3% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bingham County's score
In Bingham County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 46.4. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 16.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bingham County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Bingham County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 46.4 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202634th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.0% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
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- 39.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.3% · August 202531st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people121 · 202547th percentile
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- 39.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.4% · 202434th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.5% · 202436th percentile
- People with a disability14.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- People without health insurance8.9% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$74,827 · 202429th percentile
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- 19.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.5% · August 202518th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.4% · August 20257th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.3% · second quarter of 202630th percentile
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- 16.0 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent13.2% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.3% · fiscal year 20278th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Bingham County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Bingham County, 15.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bingham County
Idaho
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Bingham County had its largest rise, from 18.1% in 2004 to 21.1% in 2009.
In Bingham County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 22.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Bingham County, Idaho, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Bingham County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.3% in 2011 to 14.5% in 2012.
The share of households in Bingham County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 8.7% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Bingham County, Idaho.
How Bingham County has changed
Bingham County's population nearly doubled to 50,889, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 36,376. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bingham County, Idaho.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Bingham County rose 44% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 16,585. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bingham County, Idaho.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.3% | 2024 11.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,405 | 2024 $74,827 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Bingham County's history
1885
Created January 13, 1885 from Oneida County. Wikipedia
2000
A thunderstorm in February 2000 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A tornado in February 2000 did $2.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Hail in June 2009 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 47,992, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1976
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bingham County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bingham County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Bingham County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bingham County ranks 4th of the eight; Butte County is highest, at 26.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bannock County, ID | 48 | 12.3% | 24.2% |
| Power County, ID | 35 | 13.0% | 22.1% |
| Butte County, ID | 28 | 15.1% | 26.9% |
| Bonneville County, ID | 21 | 8.2% | 18.8% |
| Caribou County, ID | 20 | 10.2% | 22.6% |
| Bingham County, ID | 19 | 11.4% | 22.2% |
| Jefferson County, ID | 9 | 8.5% | 17.8% |
| Blaine County, ID | 0 | 6.7% | 5.7% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Bingham County the poorest county in Idaho?
No, Bingham County's poverty rate was 11.4% in 2024, 22nd highest of 44 in Idaho (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Madison County, at 24.3%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Bingham County ranks 35th of 44 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bingham County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Idaho Legal Aid Services, Inc.
Legal aid
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Idaho Volunteer Lawyers Program
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Bingham County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Bingham County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.