Owyhee County, Idaho Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Owyhee County is located in Idaho with a total population of 12,503. It is the 26th most populous county out of 44 in Idaho. The county encompasses 5 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Owyhee County is 39.0 years. This is 5% higher than the state median of 37.3 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Owyhee County is $64,406. This is 17% lower than the state median of $77,800. It is also 20% lower than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 12.2%. This is 16% higher than the state poverty rate of 10.6%. The unemployment rate is 2.1%. This is 45% lower than the state rate of 3.7%. The median home value is $359,800. Housing costs are 14% lower than the state median of $418,600. The home-value-to-income ratio is 5.6x. 72.6% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Owyhee County is White (non-Hispanic), making up 67.8% of the population. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 24.8%. The Hispanic or Latino population is significantly higher than the state average (24.8% vs 13.7%). The Asian population (0.1%) is well below the state average of 1.3%.

Education

12.4% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is among the lowest rates in the state, which may correlate with employment and income patterns. This is 61% 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 78.2%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Owyhee 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.