About one in 12 people in Jefferson County, Idaho, lives below the poverty line
In Jefferson County, 8.5% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 88% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 90% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jefferson County's score
In Jefferson County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 37.4. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 13.3. About three in ten people (28.2%, Q2 2026) have a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 91% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jefferson 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.
Jefferson 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.
- 37.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.6% · August 202517th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people143.3 · 202557th percentile
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- 32.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202613th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
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- 20.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.5% · 202411th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.2% · 20249th percentile
- People with a disability12.8% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- People without health insurance7.8% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$88,124 · 202412th percentile
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- 14.9 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 rent10.6% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.3% · fiscal year 202716th percentile
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- 13.3 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 behind2.8% · August 202512th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score28.2% · second quarter of 20268th 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, 11.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jefferson County
Idaho
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Jefferson County had its largest rise, from 8.1% in 1974 to 11.3% in 1979.
In Jefferson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 17.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Jefferson County, Idaho, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jefferson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 9.3% in 2018 to 5.1% in 2019.
The share of households in Jefferson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 4.4% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Jefferson County, Idaho.
How Jefferson County has changed
Jefferson County's population had its largest rise, from 20,842 in 2004 to 25,770 in 2009.
Jefferson County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34,854, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 16,410. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jefferson County, Idaho.
The number of jobs located in Jefferson County had its largest rise, from 6,080 in 2015 to 7,217 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Jefferson County more than doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 8,326, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 5,616. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jefferson County, Idaho.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.1% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.5% | 2024 8.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,196 | 2024 $88,124 |
The table uses 2.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.0% 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 Jefferson County's history
2017
A flood in February 2017 did $2.43 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 30,891, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1976
6 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jefferson County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jefferson County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Jefferson County score higher than it does. Of the group, Jefferson County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Butte County gets the largest, at 26.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clark County, ID | 37 | 15.1% | 18.0% |
| Madison County, ID | 30 | 24.3% | 22.6% |
| Butte County, ID | 28 | 15.1% | 26.9% |
| Bonneville County, ID | 21 | 8.2% | 18.8% |
| Bingham County, ID | 19 | 11.4% | 22.2% |
| Fremont County, ID | 18 | 11.3% | 24.8% |
| Jefferson County, ID | 9 | 8.5% | 17.8% |
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 Jefferson County the poorest county in Idaho?
No, Jefferson County's poverty rate was 8.5% in 2024, 40th 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, Jefferson County ranks 39th of 44 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.