About one in 10 people in Canyon County, Idaho, lives below the poverty line
In Canyon County, 9.9% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 78% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Canyon County's score
In Canyon County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 55.3. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 34.6. The typical household earns $84,164 a year (2024), more than in 84% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Canyon 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.
Even so, Canyon County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (12.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 55.3 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent17.8% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.0% · fiscal year 202762nd percentile
-
- 53.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.8% · August 202548th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people144.4 · 202558th percentile
-
- 44.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.2% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.1% · second quarter of 202633rd percentile
-
- 37.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202636th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.9% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
-
- 34.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.9% · 202421st percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.0% · 202417th percentile
- People with a disability14.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- People without health insurance12.3% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$84,164 · 202415th percentile
-
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 Canyon 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 Canyon County, 14.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Canyon County
Idaho
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Canyon County had its largest rise, from 19.0% in 2004 to 25.0% in 2009.
In Canyon County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 21.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Canyon County, Idaho, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Canyon County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.7% in 2010 to 15.2% in 2011.
The share of households in Canyon County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 8.6%
Biggest drop: 2019 to 2020, reaching 12.8%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Canyon County, Idaho.
How Canyon County has changed
Canyon County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 226,235 in 2019 to 266,892 in 2024.
Canyon County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 266,892, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 88,798. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Canyon County, Idaho.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Canyon County tripled to 90,221, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 90,221. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Canyon County, Idaho.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.5% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.4% | 2024 9.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,182 | 2024 $84,164 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 Canyon County's history
1891
Created by act of the Idaho Legislature on March 7, 1891, effective November 26, 1892, from Ada County. Wikipedia
1997
Lightning in June 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
Lightning in July 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Indian Creek restoration project 2009 uncovered creek being used for sewage by local industries. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 231,105, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 2005
4 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Canyon County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Canyon County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Canyon County, in Idaho and Oregon, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Canyon County ranks 4th of the six; Malheur County is highest, at 40.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malheur County, OR | 61 | 18.5% | 40.2% |
| Owyhee County, ID | 56 | 13.2% | 21.5% |
| Canyon County, ID | 41 | 9.9% | 21.7% |
| Payette County, ID | 25 | 12.7% | 24.0% |
| Gem County, ID | 24 | 12.3% | 28.1% |
| Ada County, ID | 14 | 8.9% | 14.2% |
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 Canyon County the poorest county in Idaho?
No, Canyon County's poverty rate was 9.9% in 2024, 34th 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, Canyon County ranks 8th of 44 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Canyon 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.
-
Idaho Legal Aid Services, Inc.
Legal aid
-
Idaho Volunteer Lawyers Program
Legal aid
-
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 Canyon 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 Canyon County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.