Unemployment in Power County, Idaho, is lower than in 75% of U.S. counties
In Power County, 3.3% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 75% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Power County's score
In Power County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 58.1. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 23.9. People with a credit card behind: 2.9%, August 2025, lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Power 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, Power County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (14.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 58.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.0% · 202448th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.8% · 202443rd percentile
- People with a disability16.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- People without health insurance14.9% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,002 · 202455th percentile
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- 41.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.4% · August 202536th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people121.2 · 202547th percentile
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- 41.6 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 rent18.9% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.7% · fiscal year 202728th percentile
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- 41.6 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 202625th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.0% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
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- 23.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.9% · August 20259th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.5% · August 202525th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.9% · second quarter of 202636th 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 Power 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 Power County, 17.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Power County
Idaho
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Power County rose most from 12.7% in 1999 to 20.7% in 2009, 4.0 points each step.
In Power County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, reaching 22.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Power County, Idaho, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 22.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Power County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply on the way to its 2021 low, from 9.7% in 2020 to 5.9% in 2021.
The share of households in Power County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 8.9%
Low on the chart: 5.9% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Power County, Idaho.
How Power County has changed
Power County's population nearly doubled to 8,381, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 6,711. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Power County, Idaho.
The number of jobs located in Power County fell most sharply after its 2000 high, from 4,139 in 2000 to 2,724 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Power County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2005, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 2,724 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Power County, Idaho.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.6% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.4% | 2024 13.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,427 | 2024 $65,002 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Power County's history
1902
Hydroelectric power plant at American Falls (1902). Wikipedia
1913
Created January 30, 1913, partitioned from Cassia County. Wikipedia
1925
American Falls relocated to facilitate dam construction (1925). Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 7,878, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1964
5 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Power County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Power County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Power County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Power County ranks 4th of the six; Oneida County is highest, at 25.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bannock County, ID | 48 | 12.3% | 24.2% |
| Power County, ID | 35 | 13.0% | 22.1% |
| Cassia County, ID | 28 | 12.9% | 17.5% |
| Bingham County, ID | 19 | 11.4% | 22.2% |
| Oneida County, ID | 2 | 10.4% | 25.1% |
| 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 Power County the poorest county in Idaho?
No, Power County's poverty rate was 13.0% in 2024, 12th 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, Power County ranks 15th of 44 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Power 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.
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 Power County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.