In Caribou County, Idaho, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Caribou County, 15.7% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Caribou County's score
In Caribou County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 50.2. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 21.7. People with a car or retail loan behind: 2.5%, August 2025, lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Caribou 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.
Caribou 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.
- 50.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202645th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.6% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
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- 32.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.2% · August 202515th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people124.7 · 202549th percentile
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- 30.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.2% · 202423rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.3% · 202424th percentile
- People with a disability13.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- People without health insurance7.8% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$77,635 · 202424th percentile
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- 28.3 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 rent18.3% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.7% · fiscal year 20275th percentile
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- 21.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.5% · August 20258th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.2% · second quarter of 202616th 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 Caribou 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 Caribou County, 18.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Caribou County
Idaho
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Caribou County had its largest rise, from 15.2% in 2004 to 20.0% in 2009.
In Caribou County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 22.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Caribou County, Idaho, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 22.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Caribou County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 11.7% in 2012 to 7.9% in 2013.
The share of households in Caribou County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 6.4% 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, Caribou County, Idaho.
How Caribou County has changed
Caribou County's population had its largest rise, from 6,917 in 1974 to 8,610 in 1979.
Caribou County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and is down 16% since
High on the chart: 8,610 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Caribou County, Idaho.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Caribou County rose 38% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 2,939. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Caribou County, Idaho.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.8% | 2024 10.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,354 | 2024 $77,635 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Caribou County's history
1863
Fort constructed at Morristown in fall of 1863 for protection of Morrisite religious sect. Wikipedia
1919
Formed February 11, 1919 from parts of Bannock County. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 8,695. The 2020 Census counted 7,027, 81% of the peak. Census Bureau
2023
A flood in June 2023 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1964
5 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Caribou County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Caribou County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Caribou County, in Idaho and Wyoming, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Caribou County ranks 3rd of the seven; Bear Lake County is highest, at 27.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bannock County, ID | 48 | 12.3% | 24.2% |
| Bonneville County, ID | 21 | 8.2% | 18.8% |
| Caribou County, ID | 20 | 10.2% | 22.6% |
| Bingham County, ID | 19 | 11.4% | 22.2% |
| Bear Lake County, ID | 8 | 9.9% | 27.0% |
| Franklin County, ID | 6 | 7.9% | 20.5% |
| Lincoln County, WY | 1 | 6.9% | 15.8% |
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 Caribou County the poorest county in Idaho?
No, Caribou County's poverty rate was 10.2% in 2024, 31st 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, Caribou County ranks 34th of 44 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Caribou 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 Caribou 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 Caribou County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.