About one in five people in Shoshone County, Idaho, has a disability
In Shoshone County, 21.8% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Shoshone County's score
In Shoshone County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 78.9. Unemployment averaged 5.2%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, higher than in 83% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 71.9.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Shoshone County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a subprime credit score (20.1%, Q4 2025) and people with unpaid debt sent to a collector (20.5%, August 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Shoshone County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 78.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.1% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.2% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202683rd percentile
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- 71.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line19.8% · 202463rd percentile
- People with a disability21.8% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,309 · 202479th percentile
- People below the poverty line15.4% · 202467th percentile
- People without health insurance9.2% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
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- 66.7 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.6% · fiscal year 202785th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent17.7% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
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- 57.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.5% · August 202539th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people199.6 · 202574th percentile
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- 48.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.2% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.0% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score20.1% · Q4 202534th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Shoshone County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Shoshone County
Idaho
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Shoshone County in 2024, pay from work was 48 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 19 cents. Benefit checks were 33 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 8 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Shoshone County, benefit checks rose from 8 to 33 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Shoshone County, Idaho: 33.3% and 48.1% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 33.3% of all personal income in Shoshone County, Idaho (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Shoshone County, 23.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Shoshone County has changed
The number of people living in Shoshone County fell by about three in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 19,561 to 14,074. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 9.3% in 1990 to 5.6% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 19,561 | 2024 14,074 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 4,980 | 2024 4,834 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.3% | 2025 5.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.9% | 2024 15.4% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $21,785 | 2024 $56,309 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 7.5% | 2024 33.3% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Shoshone County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 22,806. The 2020 Census counted 13,169, 58% of the peak. Census Bureau
1860
Gold discovery at Pierce (October 1860). Wikipedia
1864
Established February 4, 1864 by the Idaho Territory territorial legislature. Wikipedia
1892
Mine workers strike with deaths and U.S. Army intervention (1892). Wikipedia
1899
Union miners dynamited Bunker Hill & Sullivan mill (1899). Wikipedia
1910
Great Fire burned much of county including parts of Wallace (1910). Wikipedia
1989
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Flood: $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1964
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Shoshone County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Shoshone County beside its neighbors
Shoshone County scores higher than all seven counties that border it, in Idaho and Montana. For the share of income from benefit checks, Shoshone County ranks 4th of the eight; Clearwater County is highest, at 37.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shoshone County, ID | 74 | 15.4% | 33.3% |
| Sanders County, MT | 65 | 13.9% | 36.5% |
| Benewah County, ID | 61 | 12.9% | 32.7% |
| Clearwater County, ID | 56 | 15.2% | 37.1% |
| Mineral County, MT | 49 | 12.6% | 33.9% |
| Bonner County, ID | 39 | 11.0% | 23.8% |
| Kootenai County, ID | 34 | 9.0% | 19.8% |
| Latah County, ID | 22 | 17.3% | 17.8% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Shoshone County the poorest county in Idaho?
No, Shoshone County's poverty rate was 15.4% in 2024, 3rd 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, Shoshone County ranks 1st of 44 in the state.
Shoshone County, Idaho: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Shoshone County, Idaho?
15.4% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 19.8%.
Is Shoshone County the poorest county in Idaho?
No, Shoshone County's poverty rate was 15.4% in 2024, 3rd 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, Shoshone County ranks 1st of 44 in the state.
What is the population of Shoshone County, Idaho?
About 14,074 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 13,169, 58% of the county's peak of 22,806 in 1950.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Shoshone County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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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
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,311 approved agencies 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 Shoshone County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Shoshone County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.