About one in 12 people in Bonneville County, Idaho, lives below the poverty line
In Bonneville County, 8.2% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 78% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bonneville County's score
In Bonneville County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 51.4. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 23.4. People with a car or retail loan behind: 3.4%, August 2025, lower than in 79% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bonneville 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.
Bonneville 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.
- 51.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.7% · August 202529th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people194.9 · 202573rd percentile
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- 39.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202623rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
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- 28.1 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 rent15.1% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.2% · fiscal year 202724th percentile
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- 24.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.2% · 20249th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.3% · 202414th percentile
- People with a disability13.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- People without health insurance8.4% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$83,922 · 202415th percentile
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- 23.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.2% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.4% · August 202520th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.4% · second quarter of 202620th 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 Bonneville 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 Bonneville County, 13.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bonneville County
Idaho
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Bonneville County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 18.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Bonneville County, Idaho, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Bonneville County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.1% in 2010 to 10.0% in 2011.
The share of households in Bonneville County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 9.1%
Low on the chart: 7.4% 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, Bonneville County, Idaho.
How Bonneville County has changed
Bonneville County's population had its largest rise, from 89,514 in 2004 to 103,016 in 2009.
Bonneville County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 133,644, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 81,576. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bonneville County, Idaho.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Bonneville County doubled to 63,586, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 63,586. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bonneville County, Idaho.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.7% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.2% | 2024 8.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $31,435 | 2024 $83,922 |
The table uses 3.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Bonneville County's history
1887
Eagle Rock railroad shops moved to Pocatello in 1887, leaving Eagle Rock almost a ghost town. Wikipedia
1911
Established February 7, 1911 from the north and east parts of Bingham County. Wikipedia
1949
National Reactor Testing Station opened in 1949 west of Idaho Falls. Wikipedia
1978
A tornado in April 1978 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A thunderstorm in August 2011 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
Hail in April 2018 did $29.75 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 123,964, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1964
6 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bonneville County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bonneville County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Bonneville County, in Idaho and Wyoming, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bonneville County ranks 4th of the eight; Madison County is highest, at 22.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County, ID | 30 | 24.3% | 22.6% |
| 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% |
| Teton County, ID | 3 | 7.5% | 12.0% |
| Lincoln County, WY | 1 | 6.9% | 15.8% |
| Teton County, WY | 0 | 5.4% | 1.8% |
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 Bonneville County the poorest county in Idaho?
No, Bonneville County's poverty rate was 8.2% in 2024, 41st 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, Bonneville County ranks 33rd of 44 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bonneville 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 Housing and Finance Assocation--idaho Falls Branch Office
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Bonneville 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 Bonneville County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.