Gooding County, Idaho Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Gooding County is located in Idaho with a total population of 15,931. It is the 21st most populous county out of 44 in Idaho. The county encompasses 4 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Gooding County is 38.1 years. This is 2% higher than the state median of 37.3 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Gooding County is $63,559. This is 18% lower than the state median of $77,800. It is also 21% lower than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 13.0%. This is 23% higher than the state poverty rate of 10.6%. The unemployment rate is 3.8%. This is 3% higher than the state rate of 3.7%. The median home value is $250,900. Housing costs are 40% lower than the state median of $418,600. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.9x. 70.8% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 2% lower than the state average of 72.1%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Gooding County is White (non-Hispanic), making up 63.1% of the population. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 31.5%. The Black or African American population (0.1%) is well below the state average of 0.7%. The Hispanic or Latino population is significantly higher than the state average (31.5% vs 13.7%). The Asian population (0.3%) is well below the state average of 1.3%.

Education

16.2% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 49% lower than the state rate of 31.8%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 80.8%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Gooding County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates, with comparisons drawn against Idaho and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.