Data recently released by the US Census Bureau shows that Idaho’s population growth from 2020 to 2021 was well dispersed across the state, with each county in Idaho growing in population over the year.

The Census Bureau reported that the state’s population fell from 1,847,772 in 2020 to 1,900,923 in 2021, in its July 1, 2021 population estimates.

The latest release of data shows how population growth has been distributed across the state.

While the greatest number growth was concentrated in urban counties, most rural counties in Idaho experienced commensurate growth. In total, 38 of Idaho’s 44 counties grew by at least 1%, and every county grew faster than the national average growth rate, except for Clark County, which is the least populated county. from Idaho.

Population growth continued to be strong in Idaho’s three largest counties – Ada, Canyon and Kootenai – from 2020 to 2021. These three counties collectively accounted for just under 50% of the state’s total population , and they accounted for 31,491 of the state’s new residents, or 59% of population growth. Ada County’s population topped half a million for the first time, rising to 511,931.

Despite the continued trend of urbanization, several rural counties in Idaho have shown significant growth, with six rural counties showing growth above 4%. Boise County was the fastest growing county at 5.8%.

Net migration is the primary driver of Idaho’s growth, primarily from other states rather than foreign countries. Natural growth (the difference between births and deaths) remains very low for most counties in Idaho. Net migration accounted for more than 75% of total population growth in 41 of Idaho’s 44 counties. In total, net migration in Idaho was 49,289 from 2020 to 2021, while natural change was only 4,389, or just 8% of total growth. In many counties in Idaho, deaths have exceeded births, resulting in negative natural change. A total of 17 counties experienced negative natural growth, including the five counties in northern Idaho.

Population growth was similarly distributed across Idaho’s metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). The fastest growing MSA was Coeur d’Alene, which rose 4.1% to just under 180,000. This was closely followed by the Boise MSA, which rose 3.3%. to 795,000. The other four Idaho MSAs grew more slowly, but still saw net growth, with Idaho Falls MSA at 2.9%, Twin Falls at 2.1%, Pocatello at 1.2 % and Lewiston at 0.7%. Overall, Idaho’s MSAs grew by 3%, significantly outpacing the nationwide MSA growth rate of just 0.1% from 2020 to 2021. A total of 74 .5% of Idaho’s population now lives in the six MSAs.