Idaho

In the early 1860s, when the U.S. Congress was considering organizing a new territory in the Rocky Mountains, the name "Idaho" was suggested by George M. Willing, a politician posing as an unrecognized delegate from the unofficial Jefferson Territory.{{cite web |url=http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/weblog/comments/did_idaho_get_its_name_as_a_result_of_a_hoax |title=Did Idaho Get Its Name As a Result of a Hoax? |publisher=Museum of hoaxes |date=April 25, 2006 |access-date=July 30, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025133736/http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/weblog/comments/did_idaho_get_its_name_as_a_result_of_a_hoax |archive-date=October 25, 2011 |url-status=live }}{{Failed verification|date=March 2025|reason=Source describes the story here as an unverified claim of Willing, not fact}} Willing claimed that the name was derived from a Shoshone term meaning "the sun comes from the mountains" or "gem of the mountains",{{cite encyclopedia|title=Idaho |publisher=MSN |encyclopedia=Encarta |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761565515/Idaho.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028131844/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761565515/Idaho.html |archive-date=October 28, 2009 |url-status=dead }} but it was revealed later that there was no such term and Willing claimed that he had been inspired to coin the name when he met a little girl named Ida.{{Cite journal |last=Ellis |first=Erl H. |title=Idaho |journal=Western Folklore |volume=10 |issue=4 |pages=317–9 |date=October 1951 |doi=10.2307/1496073 |jstor=1496073| issn = 0043-373X}} Since the name appeared to be fabricated, the U.S. Congress ultimately decided to name the area Colorado Territory instead when it was created in February 1861, but by the time this decision was made, the town of Idaho Springs, Colorado had already been named after Willing's proposal.

The same year Congress created Colorado Territory, a county called Idaho County was created in eastern Washington Territory. The county was named after a steamship named Idaho, which was launched on the Columbia River in 1860. It is unclear whether the steamship was named before or after Willing's claim was revealed. Regardless, part of Washington Territory, including Idaho County, was used to create Idaho Territory in 1863.{{Citation |publisher=Idaho State University |url=http://imnh.isu.edu/digitalatlas/geog/explore/essay.pdf |contribution=Origins of the Name "Idaho" and How Idaho Became a Territory in 1863 |title=Idaho Museum of Natural History |access-date=March 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120065016/http://imnh.isu.edu/digitalatlas/geog/explore/essay.pdf |archive-date=January 20, 2013 |url-status=live }}. Idaho Territory would later change its boundaries to the area that became the U.S. state.{{Cite web |title=uslaw.link |url=https://uslaw.link/citation/stat/12/808 |access-date=2023-09-01 |website=uslaw.link}}

{{main |History of Idaho}}

Humans may have been present in the Idaho area as long as 14,500 years ago. Excavations at Wilson Butte Cave near Twin Falls in 1959 revealed evidence of human activity, including arrowheads, that rank among the oldest dated artifacts in North America. American Indian peoples predominant in the area included the Nez Percé in the north and the Northern and Western Shoshone in the south.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2019/08/coopers-landing-idaho-site-americas-oldest/|title=15,000-year-old Idaho archaeology site now among America's oldest|date=August 29, 2019|website=Culture & History|access-date=September 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905110333/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2019/08/coopers-landing-idaho-site-americas-oldest/|archive-date=September 5, 2019|url-status=dead}}

A Late Upper Paleolithic site was identified at Cooper's Ferry in western Idaho near the town of Cottonwood by archaeologists in 2019. Based on evidence found at the site, first people lived in this area 15,300 to 16,600 years ago, predating the Beringia land bridge by about a thousand years. The discoverers emphasized that they possess similarities with tools and artifacts discovered in Japan that date from 16,000 to 13,000 years ago.{{Cite journal|last1=G. Davis|first1=Loren|last2=B. Madsen|first2=David|last3=Higham|first3=Thomas Higham|date=2019|title=Late Upper Paleolithic occupation at Cooper's Ferry, Idaho, USA, ~16,000 years ago|journal=Science|volume=365|issue=6456|pages=891–897|doi=10.1126/science.aax9830|pmid=31467216|bibcode=2019Sci...365..891D|s2cid=201672463|doi-access=free}} The discovery also showed that the first people might not have come to North America by land, as previously theorized. On the contrary, they probably came through the water, using a Pacific coastal route.{{Cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/idaho-artifacts-show-human-presence-184042278.html|title=Idaho artifacts show human presence in Americas 16,600 years ago|website=news.yahoo.com|date=August 29, 2019 |access-date=September 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190901181706/https://news.yahoo.com/idaho-artifacts-show-human-presence-184042278.html|archive-date=September 1, 2019|url-status=live}}

{{Blockquote|text=The most parsimonious explanation we think is that people came down the Pacific Coast, and as they encountered the mouth of the Columbia River, they essentially found an off-ramp from this coastal migration and also found their first viable interior route to the areas that are south of the ice sheet.||sign=|source=}}

An early presence of French-Canadian trappers is visible in names and toponyms: Nez Percé, Cœur d'Alène, Boisé, Payette. Some of these names appeared prior to the Lewis and Clark and Astorian expeditions, which included significant numbers of French and Métis guides recruited for their familiarity with the terrain.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

Idaho, as part of the Oregon Country, was claimed by both the United States and Great Britain until the United States gained undisputed jurisdiction in 1846. From 1843 to 1859, present-day Idaho was under the de facto jurisdiction of the Provisional Government of Oregon. When Oregon became a state in 1859, what is now Idaho was situated in what remained of the original Oregon Territory, designated as the Washington Territory.

Between 1849 and the creation of the Idaho Territory in 1863, parts of present-day Idaho were included in the Oregon, Washington, and Dakota Territories. The new Idaho territory included present-day Idaho, Montana, and most of Wyoming. The Lewis and Clark expedition crossed Idaho in 1805 on the way to the Pacific, and in 1806, on the return trip, largely following the Clearwater River in both directions. The first non-indigenous settlement was Kullyspell House, established on the shore of Lake Pend Oreille in 1809 by David Thompson of the North West Company for fur trading.{{cite web |url=http://www.northamericanforts.com/West/id.html#thompson |title=David Thompson's Trading Post |website=Idaho Forts |publisher=American Forts Network |access-date=December 7, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813155304/http://www.northamericanforts.com/West/id.html#thompson |archive-date=August 13, 2009 |url-status=live }}{{cite book |last=Meinig |first=DW |author-link=D.W. Meinig |title=The Great Columbia Plain |orig-year=1968 |series=Weyerhaeuser Environmental Classic |year=1995 |publisher=University of Washington Press |isbn=978-0-295-97485-9 |pages=36, 55}} In 1812 Donald Mackenzie, working for the Pacific Fur Company at the time, established a post on the lower Clearwater River near present-day Lewiston. This post, known as "MacKenzie's Post" or "Clearwater", operated until the Pacific Fur Company was bought out by the North West Company in 1813, after which the post was abandoned.{{cite web |url=http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0062.pdf |title=Fur Trade Posts in Idaho |publisher=Idaho State Historical Society |access-date=December 7, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090930220652/http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0062.pdf |archive-date=September 30, 2009 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.northamericanforts.com/West/id.html#clear |title=Donald MacKenzie's Post |website=Idaho Forts |publisher=American Forts Network |access-date=December 7, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813155304/http://www.northamericanforts.com/West/id.html#clear |archive-date=August 13, 2009 |url-status=live }} The first organized non-indigenous communities within the present borders of Idaho were established by Mormon pioneers in 1860.{{cite web |url=http://www.franklinidaho.org/History2.htm |title=An Early History of Franklin |last=Bennett |first=Eldon T. |publisher=Franklin, ID |access-date=May 19, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513005934/http://www.franklinidaho.org/History2.htm |archive-date=May 13, 2008 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0008.pdf |title=Elias Davidson Pierce and the Founding of Pierce |date=August 1966 |publisher=Idaho State Historical Society |access-date=May 19, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528121225/http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0008.pdf |archive-date=May 28, 2008 |url-status=dead }} The first permanent, substantial incorporated community was Lewiston, in 1861. Early in its history, Idaho saw a large influx of Chinese immigrants, who by 1870 made up about 28.5% of the territory's population.{{Cite web |title=Significance of Asians and Asian Americans in Idaho History |url=https://www.uidaho.edu/class/anthrolab/collections/aacc/significance |access-date=2023-07-17 |website=www.uidaho.edu |language=en}}

Idaho achieved statehood in 1890, following a difficult start as a territory, including the chaotic transfer of the territorial capital from Lewiston to Boise,{{cite web |url=http://history.idaho.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/reference-series/0048.pdf |title=Territorial Government in Idaho, 1863–1869 |series=Reference |number=48 |place=ID, US |publisher=State Historical Society |year=1968 |access-date=September 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002124302/http://www.history.idaho.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/reference-series/0048.pdf |archive-date=October 2, 2013 |url-status=dead }} disenfranchisement of Mormon polygamists upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1890,{{cite web |url=http://nboman.people.wm.edu/MormonsEUSC.pdf |title=Mormon |type=entry |website=The Encyclopedia of the Supreme Court of the United States |first=David S |last=Tanenhaus |access-date=July 30, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100628164120/http://nboman.people.wm.edu/MormonsEUSC.pdf |archive-date=June 28, 2010 |url-status=live }} and a federal attempt to split the territory between Washington Territory, which gained statehood in 1889, a year before Idaho, and the state of Nevada which had been a state since 1864.{{Cite news|url=http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/idaho-becomes-43rd-state|title=Idaho becomes 43rd state—Jul 03, 1890—HISTORY.com|work=HISTORY.com|access-date=February 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102053717/http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/idaho-becomes-43rd-state|archive-date=November 2, 2012|url-status=live}}

Idaho was one of the hardest hit of the Pacific Northwest states during the Great Depression.{{cite book |last=Schwantes |first=Carlos |year=1991 |title=In Mountain Shadows: a History of Idaho |location=Lincoln |publisher=University of Nebraska Press}} Prices plummeted for Idaho's major crops: in 1932 a bushel of potatoes brought only ten cents compared to 1919 for $1.51, while Idaho farmers saw their annual income of $686 in 1929 drop to $250 by 1932.{{cite book |last=Doyle |first=Randall |year=2004 |title=A political dynasty in North Idaho, 1933–1967 |publisher=University Press |isbn=978-0-7618-2842-6 |page=7}}

Between 1991 and 2002, Idaho expanded its commercial base to include the science and technology sector which accounted for over 25% of its Gross state product in 2001.{{cite web |url=http://ieda.biz/white.html |title=The Power of Idaho |type=whitepaper |year=2004 |place=ID |publisher=Economic Development Association |access-date=October 7, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013194422/http://ieda.biz/white.html |archive-date=October 13, 2007 }}

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Idaho enacted statewide crisis standards of care as COVID-19 patients overwhelmed hospitals.{{Cite web|last=erusby@idahopress.com|first=ERIN BANKS RUSBY|title=Idaho issues crisis standards of care statewide|url=https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/idaho-issues-crisis-standards-of-care-statewide/article_6ba90621-f076-504a-8b74-059422f64272.html|access-date=2021-10-10|website=Idaho Press|date=September 16, 2021 |language=en}} The state had one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country as of mid-October 2021.{{Cite news|date=2020-12-17|title=See How Vaccinations Are Going in Your County and State|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/covid-19-vaccine-doses.html|access-date=2021-10-10|issn=0362-4331}}

{{main|Geography of Idaho}}

{{More citations needed|section|date=April 2022}}

Idaho shares a border with six U.S. states and one Canadian province. The states of Washington and Oregon are to the west, Nevada and Utah are to the south, and Montana and Wyoming are to the east. Idaho also shares a short border with the Canadian province of British Columbia to the north.{{cite web |title=Map of Idaho |url=https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/USA/idaho_map.htm}}

File:Shoshone Falls near Twin Falls, Idaho.jpg

The landscape is rugged, with some of the largest unspoiled natural areas in the United States. For example, at {{convert|2.3|e6acre|ha}}, the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Area is the largest contiguous area of protected wilderness in the continental United States. Idaho is a Rocky Mountain state with abundant natural resources and scenic areas. The state has snow-capped mountain ranges, rapids, vast lakes and steep canyons. The waters of the Snake River run through Hells Canyon, the deepest gorge in the United States. Shoshone Falls falls down cliffs from a height greater than Niagara Falls.{{cite web |title=2015 Idaho Travel Guide by Visit Idaho - Issuu |url=https://issuu.com/visitidaho/docs/2015-travel-guide |website=issuu.com |date=February 13, 2015 |language=en}}

By far, the most important river in Idaho is the Snake River, a major tributary of the Columbia River. The Snake River flows from Yellowstone in northwestern Wyoming through the Snake River Plain in southern Idaho before turning north, leaving the state at Lewiston before joining the Columbia in Kennewick. Other major rivers are the Clark Fork/Pend Oreille River, the Spokane River, and, many major tributaries of the Snake River, including the Clearwater River, the Salmon River, the Boise River, and the Payette River. The Salmon River empties into the Snake in Hells Canyon and forms the southern boundary of Nez Perce County on its north shore, of which Lewiston is the county seat. The Port of Lewiston, at the confluence of the Clearwater and the Snake Rivers is the farthest inland seaport on the West Coast at 465 river miles from the Pacific at Astoria, Oregon.{{cite web |url=http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h2812.html |title=Port of Lewiston |publisher=US history |access-date=July 30, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622052243/http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h2812.html |archive-date=June 22, 2011 |url-status=live }}

The vast majority of Idaho's population lives in the Snake River Plain, a valley running from across the entirety of southern Idaho from east to west. The valley contains the major cities of Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell, Twin Falls, Idaho Falls, and Pocatello. The plain served as an easy pass through the Rocky Mountains for westward-bound settlers on the Oregon Trail, and many settlers chose to settle the area rather than risking the treacherous route through the Blue Mountains and the Cascade Range to the west. The western region of the plain is known as the Treasure Valley, bound between the Owyhee Mountains to the southwest and the Boise Mountains to the northeast. The central region of the Snake River Plain is known as the Magic Valley.

File:Edna Lake.JPG

Idaho's highest point is Borah Peak, {{convert|12662|ft|0|abbr=on}}, in the Lost River Range north of Mackay. Idaho's lowest point, {{convert|710|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}, is in Lewiston, where the Clearwater River joins the Snake River and continues into Washington. The Sawtooth Range is often considered Idaho's most famous mountain range.{{cite web |url= http://www.idahoaclimbingguide.com/id27.htm |title= Sawtooth Range |publisher= Idaho climbing guide |access-date= July 30, 2010 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110615075042/http://www.idahoaclimbingguide.com/id27.htm |archive-date= June 15, 2011}} Other mountain ranges in Idaho include the Bitterroot Range, the White Cloud Mountains, the Lost River Range, the Clearwater Mountains, and the Salmon River Mountains.

Salmon-Challis National Forest is located in the east central sections of the state, with Salmon National Forest to the north and Challis National Forest to the south. The forest is in an area known as the Idaho Cobalt Belt, which consists of a {{convert|34|mile|km|adj=}} long geological formation of sedimentary rock that contains some of the largest cobalt deposits in the U.S.{{cite web |title=Idaho Is Sitting on One of the Most Important Elements on Earth |author=Michael Holtz |date=24 Jan 2022 |website=The Atlantic |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2022/01/cobalt-clean-energy-climate-change-idaho/621321/}}

Idaho has two time zones, with the dividing line approximately midway between Canada and Nevada. Southern Idaho, including the Boise metropolitan area, Idaho Falls, Pocatello, and Twin Falls, are in the Mountain Time Zone. A legislative error ({{usctc|15|6}} §264) theoretically placed this region in the Central Time Zone, but this was corrected with a 2007 amendment.{{cite web|url=http://uscode.house.gov/download/pls/15C6.txt |id=264 |title=Part of Idaho in fourth zone |publisher=House of representatives |place=Washington, D.C., U.S. |website=U.S. Code |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060125180343/http://uscode.house.gov/download/pls/15C6.txt |archive-date=January 25, 2006 }} Areas north of the Salmon River, including Coeur d'Alene, Moscow, Lewiston, and Sandpoint, are in the Pacific Time Zone, which contains less than a quarter of the state's population and land area.{{Cite web |title=Idaho (ID) time zone |url=https://whichtimezone.com/usa/idaho/ |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=WhichTimezone |language=en-US}}

File:Köppen Climate Types Idaho.png of Idaho, using 1991–2020 climate normals]]

Idaho's climate varies widely. Although the state's western boundary is about {{convert|330|mi|-1}} from the Pacific Ocean, the maritime influence is still felt in Idaho; especially, in the winter when cloud cover, humidity, and precipitation are at their maximum extent. This influence has a moderating effect in the winter where temperatures are not as low as would otherwise be expected for a northern state with predominantly high elevations.{{cite web | url = http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/narratives/IDAHO.htm | title = Climate of Idaho | website = WRCC | publisher = DRI | date = February 20, 1954 | access-date = July 30, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110909133342/http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/narratives/IDAHO.htm | archive-date = September 9, 2011 | url-status = live }} In the panhandle, moist air masses from the coast are released as precipitation over the North Central Rockies forests, creating the North American inland temperate rainforest.{{cite web| last =Woodward| first = Susan L.| title = Inland Rainforests of the Northwest| publisher = Radford University| date= 2012–2015| url = https://php.radford.edu/~swoodwar/biomes/?page_id=2286| access-date = May 4, 2021}} The maritime influence is least prominent in the state's eastern part where the precipitation patterns are often reversed, with wetter summers and drier winters, and seasonal temperature differences are more extreme, showing a more semi-arid continental climate.{{Cite web|url=https://wrcc.dri.edu/narratives/IDAHO.htm|title=Climate of Idaho|website=Western Regional Climate Center|access-date=February 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171120183856/https://wrcc.dri.edu/narratives/IDAHO.htm|archive-date=November 20, 2017|url-status=live}}

Idaho can be hot, although extended periods over {{convert|98|°F|°C|abbr=on}} are rare, except for the lowest point in elevation, Lewiston, which correspondingly sees little snow. Hot summer days are tempered by the low relative humidity and cooler evenings during summer months since, for most of the state, the highest diurnal difference in temperature is often in the summer.{{cite web |url= https://wrcc.dri.edu/narratives/IDAHO.htm |title= Climate of Idaho |website= WRCC—DRI |date= February 20, 1954 |access-date= January 23, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170221052600/http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/narratives/IDAHO.htm |archive-date= February 21, 2017 |url-status= live }} Winters can be cold, although extended periods of bitter cold weather below zero are unusual. Idaho's all-time highest temperature of {{convert|118|F|C}} was recorded at Orofino on July 28, 1934; the all-time lowest temperature of {{convert|-60|F|C}} was recorded at Island Park Dam on January 18, 1943.

{| class="wikitable"

| colspan="13" style="text-align:center;background:#E8EAFA;" |Monthly normal high and low temperatures for various Idaho cities. (°F)

|-

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000; height:17px;" | City

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;" | Jan

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;" | Feb

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;" | Mar

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;" | Apr

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;" | May

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;" | Jun

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;" | Jul

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;" | Aug

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;" | Sep

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;" | Oct

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;" | Nov

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;" | Dec

|-

! style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000; height:16px;" | Boise

| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;" | 38/24

| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;" | 45/27

| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;" | 55/33

| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;" | 62/38

| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;" | 72/46

| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;" | 81/53

| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;" | 91/59

| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;" | 90/59

| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;" | 79/50

| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;" | 65/40

| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;" | 48/31

| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;" | 38/23

|-

! style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000; height:16px;" | Lewiston

| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;" | 42/30

| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;" | 47/32

| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;" | 55/36

| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;" | 62/41

| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;" | 72/48

| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;" | 79/54

| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;" | 91/61

| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;" | 90/60

| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;" | 80/52

| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;" | 63/42

| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;" | 49/35

| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;" | 41/30

|-

! style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000; height:16px;" | Pocatello

| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;" | 33/16

| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;" | 38/19

| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;" | 49/27

| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;" | 59/33

| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;" | 68/40

| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;" | 78/46

| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;" | 88/52

| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;" | 88/51

| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;" | 76/42

| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;" | 62/33

| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;" | 45/24

| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;" | 33/16

|-

! style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000; height:16px;" | Orofino

| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;" | 38/25

| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;" | 46/28

| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;" | 55/32

| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;" | 64/38

| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;" | 72/44

| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;" | 80/50

| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;" | 89/54

| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;" | 90/53

| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;" | 79/45

| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;" | 63/36

| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;" | 46/31

| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;" | 37/26

|-

| colspan="13" style="text-align:center;font-size:90%;background:#E8EAFA;" |{{Citation | title = Weather Idaho | url = http://www.ustravelweather.com/weather-idaho/ | publisher = US travel weather | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070705032338/http://www.ustravelweather.com/weather-idaho/ | archive-date = July 5, 2007}}.

|}

{{See also|List of rivers of Idaho}}

File:Lakecoeurdalenebig.jpg in North Idaho]]

File:Redfish lake.JPG in central Idaho]]

File:Checkerboard forest in Idaho.jpg winding through Whitetail Butte]]

{{div col|content=

• Clark Fork River
• Alturas Lake
• Bear River
• Bear Lake (Idaho–Utah)
• Boise River
• Clearwater River
• Hayden Lake
• Henry's Lake
• Kootenai River
• Lake Cascade
• Lake Cleveland
• Lake Coeur d'Alene
• Lake Lowell
• Lake Walcott
• Pend Oreille - Largest in Idaho
• Little Redfish Lake
• Lucky Peak Lake
• Moyie River
• North Fork Clearwater River
• Pack River
• Payette Lake, (McCall)
• Pettit Lake
• Priest Lake
• Perkins Lake
• Portneuf River
• Redfish Lake
• Salmon River
• Sawtooth Lake
• Snake River - Longest
• Stanley Lake
• St. Joe River
• Warm Lake

}}

{{See also|National Parks in Idaho}}

As of 2018:{{Cite web|url=https://www.stateparks.com/idaho_parks_and_recreation_destinations.html|title=List of parks in Idaho|website=www.stateparks.com}}

{{Div col}}

• Salmon-Challis National Forest
• California National Historic Trail
• City of Rocks National Reserve
• Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve
• Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument
• Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
• Minidoka National Historic Site
• Nez Perce National Historical Park
• Oregon National Historic Trail
• Yellowstone National Park
• Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail

{{Div col end}}

{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|

• Hells Canyon National Recreation Area
• Sawtooth National Recreation Area

}}

{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|

• Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge
• Camas National Wildlife Refuge
• Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge
• Frank Church—River of No Return Wilderness Area
• Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge
• Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge
• Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge

}}

• Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area

File:DSCN6179 bearlake e.jpg viewed from Bear Lake State Park]]

File:Bruneau Dunes State Park.jpg]]

{{See also|List of Idaho state parks}}

{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|

• Bear Lake State Park
• Bruneau Dunes State Park
• Castle Rocks State Park
• City of Rocks National Reserve
• Coeur d'Alene Parkway State Park
• Dworshak State Park
• Eagle Island State Park
• Farragut State Park
• Harriman State Park
• Hells Gate State Park
• Henrys Lake State Park
• Heyburn State Park
• Lake Cascade State Park
• Lake Walcott State Park
• Land of the Yankee Fork State Park
• Lucky Peak State Park
• Massacre Rocks State Park
• McCroskey State Park
• Old Mission State Park
• Ponderosa State Park
• Priest Lake State Park
• Round Lake State Park
• Thousand Springs State Park
• Three Island Crossing State Park
• Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes
• Winchester Lake State Park

}}

File:Idaho population density 2020.png

{{US Census population

| 1870 = 14999

| 1880 = 32610

| 1890 = 88548

| 1900 = 161772

| 1910 = 325594

| 1920 = 431866

| 1930 = 445032

| 1940 = 524873

| 1950 = 588637

| 1960 = 667191

| 1970 = 712567

| 1980 = 943935

| 1990 = 1006749

| 2000 = 1293953

| 2010 = 1567582

| 2020 = 1839106

| estyear = 2024

| estimate = 2001619

| align-fn = center

| footnote = Source: 1910–2020{{cite web |title=Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020) |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |website=www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/ID,adacountyidaho/PST045221 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=May 1, 2021 |archive-date=April 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429012609/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |url-status=dead }}

2024{{Cite web |title=QuickFacts: Idaho |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/ID | website=Census.gov | publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=December 21, 2024}}

}}

The United States Census Bureau determined Idaho's population was 1,900,923 on July 1, 2021, a 21% increase since the 2010 U.S. census.{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/ID,adacountyidaho/PST045221|title=QuickFacts Idaho; UNITED STATES|website=2018 Population Estimates|publisher=United States Census Bureau, Population Division|date=March 10, 2019|access-date=March 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190121064053/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/id,US/PST045218|archive-date=January 21, 2019|url-status=live}}

Idaho had an estimated population of 1,754,208 in 2018, which was an increase of 37,265, from the prior year and an increase of 186,626, or 11.91%, since 2010. This included a natural increase since the last census of 58,884 (111,131 births minus 52,247 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 75,795 people into the state. There are large numbers of Americans of English and German ancestry in Idaho. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 14,522 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 61,273 people.

According to the American Immigration Council, in 2018, the top countries of origin for Idaho's immigrants were Mexico, Canada, the Philippines, China and Germany.{{cite web|url=https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_idaho.pdf|title=Immigrants in Idaho}}

Idaho's population increased by 17.3% from 2010 to 2020, the second fastest rate of growth of any state that decade.[https://www.census.gov/library/stories/state-by-state/idaho-population-change-between-census-decade.html Idaho: 2020 Census], United States Census Bureau, August 25, 2021.

Nampa, about {{convert|20|mi|-1}} west of downtown Boise, became the state's second largest city in the late 1990s, passing Pocatello and Idaho Falls. Nampa's population was under 29,000 in 1990 and grew to over 81,000 by 2010. Located between Nampa and Boise, Meridian also experienced high growth, from fewer than 10,000 residents in 1990 to more than 75,000 in 2010 and is now Idaho's third largest city. Growth of 5% or more over the same period has also been observed in Caldwell, Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, and Twin Falls.{{cite web|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/16000.html|title=Idaho|website=QuickFacts|place=US|publisher=Census Bureau|access-date=July 30, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120611033538/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/16000.html|archive-date=June 11, 2012}}

From 1990 to 2010, Idaho's population increased by over 560,000 (55%). The Boise metropolitan area (officially known as the Boise City-Nampa, ID Metropolitan Statistical Area) is Idaho's largest. Other metropolitan areas, in order of size, are Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Falls, Pocatello and Lewiston.{{Cite web |title=2022 AHAR: Part 1 - PIT Estimates of Homelessness in the U.S. {{!}} HUD USER |url=https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/ahar/2022-ahar-part-1-pit-estimates-of-homelessness-in-the-us.html |access-date=2023-03-11 |website=www.huduser.gov}}

According to HUD's 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there were an estimated 1,998 homeless people in Idaho.{{Cite web |title=2007-2022 PIT Counts by State |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK}}{{Cite web |title=The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress |url=https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf}}

File:Ethnic Origins in Idaho.png

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible nowrap" style="font-size: 90%; display:inline-table;"

|+ Idaho historical racial composition

|-

! Racial composition !! 1970!! 1990{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725044857/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html|url-status=dead|title=Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For The United States, Regions, Divisions, and States|archivedate=July 25, 2008}}!! 2000{{cite web|url=http://idaho.us.censusviewer.com/client|title=Idaho :: Census Viewer :: CensusViewer :: Powered by Moonshadow Mobile|website=Idaho.us.censusviewer.com|access-date=September 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170430075250/http://idaho.us.censusviewer.com/client|archive-date=April 30, 2017|url-status=live}}!! 2010{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.2010.html|title=2010 Census Data|author=Center for New Media and Promotions (C2PO)|website=Census.gov|access-date=September 4, 2017}}!! 2020{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html |title=Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census

|author= |date=August 12, 2021 |website=census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=2021-09-26}}

|-

| White or European American || 98.1% || 94.4% || 90.1% || 89.1% || 82.1%

|-

| Indigenous || 0.9% || 1.4% || 1.4% || 1.4% || 1.4%

|-

| Asian || 0.5% || 0.9% || 0.9% || 1.2% || 1.5%

|-

| Black || 0.3% || 0.3% || 0.4% || 0.6% || 0.9%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and
other Pacific Islander ||—||—|| 0.1% || 0.1% || 0.2%

|-

| Other race || 0.2% || 3.0% || 4.2% || 5.1% || 5.6%

|-

| Two or more races ||—||—|| 2.0% || 2.5% || 8.3%

|}

File:Idaho ancestry.png

According to the 2017 American Community Survey, 12.2% of Idaho's population was of Hispanic or Latino origin, of any race: Mexican (10.6%), Puerto Rican (0.2%), Cuban (0.1%), and other Hispanic or Latino origin (1.3%).{{cite web |title=2017 American Community Survey—Demographic and Housing Estimates |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=March 25, 2020 }} The five largest ancestry groups were: German (17.5%), English (16.4%), Irish (9.3%), American (8.1%), and Scottish (3.2%).{{cite web |title=2016 American Community Survey—Selected Social Characteristics |url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/16_5YR/DP02/0400000US16 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=November 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213005501/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/16_5YR/DP02/0400000US16 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead }}

The majority of Idaho's population is of European descent. Most of Idaho's white residents trace their ancestry to the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, France, Italy, or Poland. There are also small numbers of Native Americans, Asians, and African Americans in the state.{{cite encyclopedia| title=Rocky Mountains, Semi-arid Climate |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica | date=26 October 1998 | url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Idaho/Climate#ref79078}}

In 2018, the top countries of origin for Idaho's immigrants were Mexico, Canada, the Philippines, China and Germany.{{cite web|url=https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_idaho.pdf|title=Immigrants in Idaho|website=americanimmigrationcouncil.org}}

There are five federally recognized Native American tribes in the state. These tribes include the Shoshone-Bannock, the Shoshone-Paiute, the Coeur d’Alene, the Kootenai and the Nez Perce.{{cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-id/tribal-lands#:~:text=There%20are%20five%20federally%20recognized,Kootenai%2C%20and%20the%20Nez%20Perce.|title=Tribal Lands}}

[[File:Idaho counties by race.svg|thumb|263x263px|Map of counties in Idaho by racial plurality, per the 2020 census{{Collapsible list

| title = Legend|{{col-begin}}{{col-2}}

Non-Hispanic White

{{legend|#cc4125|50–60%}}

{{legend|#a61c00|60–70%}}

{{legend|#85200c|70–80%}}

{{legend|#5b0f00|80–90%}}

{{legend|#410b00|90%+}}

{{col-end}}

}}]]

Note: Births in table don't add up, because Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving a higher overall number.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%"

|+ Live Births by Single Race/Ethnicity of Mother

|-

! Race

! 2013{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_01.pdf|title=Births: Final Data for 2013|website=Cdc.gov|access-date=September 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911162514/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_01.pdf|archive-date=September 11, 2017|url-status=live}}

! 2014{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_12.pdf|title=Births: Final Data for 2014|website=Cdc.gov|access-date=September 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214040341/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_12.pdf|archive-date=February 14, 2017|url-status=live}}

! 2015{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr66/nvsr66_01.pdf|title=Births: Final Data for 2015|website=Cdc.gov|access-date=September 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831155911/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr66/nvsr66_01.pdf|archive-date=August 31, 2017|url-status=live}}

! 2016{{Cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_01.pdf |title=National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 67, No. 1 |access-date=May 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180603002249/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_01.pdf |archive-date=June 3, 2018 |url-status=live }}

! 2017{{Cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_08-508.pdf |title=National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 67, No. 8 |access-date=February 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201210916/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_08-508.pdf |archive-date=February 1, 2019 |url-status=live }}

! 2018

{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_13-508.pdf |title=Data |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=December 2, 2019}}

! 2019

{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-02-508.pdf |title=Data |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=March 29, 2021}}

! 2020

{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-17.pdf |title=Data |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=2022-02-20}}

! 2021

{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr72/nvsr72-01.pdf |title=Data |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=2022-02-02}}

! 2022

{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-02.pdf |title=Data |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=2024-04-05}}

! 2023

{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr74/nvsr74-1.pdf |title=Data |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=2025-04-11}}

|-

| White

| 17,951 (80.2%)

| 18,188 (79.5%)

| 18,087 (79.2%)

| 17,543 (78.0%)

| 17,151 (77.3%)

| 16,574 (77.4%)

| 16,959 (76.9%)

| 16,463 (76.4%)

| 17,039 (76.0%)

| 16,894 (75.4%)

| 16,649 (74.3%)

|-

| Asian

| 491 (2.2%)

| 501 (2.2%)

| 516 (2.3%)

| 363 (1.6%)

| 366 (1.7%)

| 348 (1.6%)

| 350 (1.6%)

| 327 (1.5%)

| 380 (1.7%)

| 378 (1.7%)

| 398 (1.8%)

|-

| Black

| 225 (1.0%)

| 250 (1.1%)

| 287 (1.2%)

| 217 (1.0%)

| 243 (1.1%)

| 233 (1.1%)

| 261 (1.2%)

| 265 (1.2%)

| 271 (1.2%)

| 258 (1.2%)

| 291 (1.3%)

|-

| American Indian

| 421 (1.9%)

| 429 (1.9%)

| 406 (1.8%)

| 261 (1.2%)

| 337 (1.5%)

| 285 (1.3%)

| 291 (1.3%)

| 206 (0.9%)

| 232 (1.0%)

| 194 (0.9%)

| 174 (0.8%)

|-

| Hispanic (any race)

| 3,422 (15.3%)

| 3,651 (16.0%)

| 3,645 (16.0%)

| 3,614 (16.1%)

| 3,598 (16.2%)

| 3,549 (16.6%)

| 3,702 (16.8%)

| 3,687 (17.1%)

| 3,887 (17.3%)

| 4,002 (17.9%)

| 4,265 (19.0%)

|-

| Total

| 22,383 (100%)

| 22,876 (100%)

| 22,827 (100%)

| 22,482 (100%)

| 22,181 (100%)

| 21,403 (100%)

| 22,063 (100%)

| 21,533 (100%)

| 22,427 (100%)

| 22,391 (100%)

| 22,397 (100%)

|}

• Since 2016, data for births of White Hispanic origin are not collected, but included in one Hispanic group; persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

File:Idaho Falls Temple.jpg of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2006]]

{{Pie chart

| thumb = right

| caption = Religious self-identification, per Public Religion Research Institute's 2022 American Values Survey{{Cite web |last=Staff |date=February 24, 2023 |title=American Values Atlas: Religious Tradition in Idaho|url=https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2022/States/religion/m/US-ID|access-date=2023-04-04 |website=Public Religion Research Institute}}

| label1 = Protestantism

| value1 = 37

| color1 = Blue

| label2 = Mormonism

| value2 = 24

| color2 = Lightblue

| label3 = Catholicism

| value3 = 9

| color3 = Purple

| label4 = Jehovah's Witness

| value4 = 2

| color4 = Teal

| label5 = Unaffiliated

| value5 = 26

| color5 = White

| label6 = New Age

| value6 = 3

| color6 = Red

}}

According to the Pew Research Center on Religion & Public Life, the self-identified religious affiliations of Idahoans over the age of 18 in 2008 and 2014 were:

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Denomination

! 2008{{cite web | publisher = Pew Research Center | url = http://www.pewforum.org/files/2013/05/report-religious-landscape-study-full.pdf | title = Religious Landscape Study, february 2008 | access-date = April 12, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170417032920/http://www.pewforum.org/files/2013/05/report-religious-landscape-study-full.pdf | archive-date = April 17, 2017 | url-status = dead}}

! 2014{{cite web | publisher = Pew Research Center | url = http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/idaho/ | title = Religious Landscape Study | access-date = April 12, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170427093723/http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/idaho/ | archive-date = April 27, 2017 | url-status = live }}{{cite web | publisher = Pew Research Center | url = http://www.pewforum.org/about-the-religious-landscape-study/ | title = About the Religious Landscape Study | access-date = April 12, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170428055903/http://www.pewforum.org/about-the-religious-landscape-study/ | archive-date = April 28, 2017 | url-status = live }}

|-

| Christian, including:

| align=center|81%

| align=center|67%

|-

| * Evangelical Protestant

| align=center|22%

| align=center|21%

|-

| * Mainline Protestant

| align=center|16%

| align=center|16%

|-

| * Catholic

| align=center|18%

| align=center|10%

|-

| * Eastern Orthodox

| align=center|< 0.5%

| align=center|1%

|-

| * Historically Black Protestant

| align=center|< 0.5%

| align=center|< 1%

|-

| * The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

| align=center|23%

| align=center|19%

|-

| * Jehovah's Witnesses

| align=center|1%

| align=center|< 1%

|-

| * Other Christian

| align=center|< 0.5%

| align=center|< 1%

|-

| Unaffiliated, including:

| align=center|18%

| align=center|27%

|-

| * Nothing in particular

| align=center|n/d

| align=center|22%

|-

| * Agnostic

| align=center|n/d

| align=center|3%

|-

| * Atheist

| align=center|n/d

| align=center|2%

|-

| Non-Christian faiths, including:

| align=center|n/d

| align=center|4%

|-

| * Muslim

| align=center|< 0.5%

| align=center|1%

|-

| * Jewish

| align=center|< 0.5%

| align=center|< 1%

|-

| * Buddhist

| align=center|< 0.5%

| align=center|< 1%

|-

| * Hindu

| align=center|< 0.5%

| align=center|< 1%

|-

| * Other world religions

| align=center|< 0.5%

| align=center|< 1%

|-

| * Other faiths (New Age, Native American, etc.)

| align=center|n/d

| align=center|2%

|-

| Don't know/refused

| align=center|< 0.5%

| align=center|1%

|}

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives, the largest denominations by number of members in 2010 were The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with 409,265; the Catholic Church with 123,400; the non-denominational Protestants with 62,637; and the Assemblies of God with 22,183.{{cite web|year=2010|url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/16/rcms2010_16_state_adh_2010.asp|website=Data Archives|title=State Membership Report|publisher=The Arda|access-date=November 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112161301/http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/16/rcms2010_16_state_adh_2010.asp|archive-date=November 12, 2013|url-status=dead}} In 2020, the Association of Religion Data Archives revealed Mormons remained the largest with 462,069, followed by Catholics (203,790), and non-denominational Protestantism (98,996).{{Cite web |title=2020 Congregational Membership |url=https://www.thearda.com/us-religion/census/congregational-membership?y=2020&y2=0&t=1&c=16 |access-date=2023-04-15 |website=www.thearda.com}}

In 2022, the Public Religion Research Institute's American Values Survey estimated altogether, 72% of the population was Christian, 26% were religiously unaffiliated, and 3% were New Agers. Of its Christian population, 37% were Protestant, 24% Mormon, 9% Catholic, and 2% Jehovah's Witnesses.

{{See also|Native American languages of Idaho}}

English is the state's predominant language. Minority languages include Spanish{{Cite web|url=http://www.city-data.com/states/Idaho-Languages.html|title=Languages - Idaho|website=www.city-data.com}} and various Native American languages.

{{See also|Economy of Idaho|Idaho locations by per capita income}} Idaho's gross state product was $118.8 billion in 2023{{cite web |title=GDP by State |url=https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gdp-state |website=GDP by State | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) |publisher=Bureau of Economic Analysis |access-date=24 May 2024}} and the state's per capita income that year was estimated to be $59,035.{{cite web | last=Account | first=Economic | title=Personal Income by State | website=U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) | date=2024-03-29 | url=https://www.bea.gov/data/income-saving/personal-income-by-state | access-date=2024-05-24}}

As of 2016, the state's total employment was 562,282, and the total employer establishments were 45,826.{{Cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/ID |title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Idaho |access-date=November 11, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191111043729/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/ID |archive-date=November 11, 2019 |url-status=live }}

Idaho is the top potato producing state in the United States. Almost one-third of the nation’s potatoes are grown in the Snake River Plain, a belt of low-lying land that extends across southern Idaho.{{Cite web |date=2022-11-23 |title=Idaho's Potato Belt |url=https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/150646/idahos-potato-belt |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=earthobservatory.nasa.gov |language=en}}

Important industries in Idaho are food processing, lumber and wood products, machinery, chemical products, paper products, electronics manufacturing, silver and other mining, and tourism. The world's largest factory for barrel cheese, the raw product for processed cheese, is in Gooding, Idaho. It has a capacity of 120,000 metric tons per year of barrel cheese and belongs to the Glanbia group.{{Citation | title = Zuivelzicht | date = April 25, 2007}}.

As Idaho approached statehood, mining and other extractive industries became increasingly important to her economy. While Idaho's dependence on mining has decreased, the state, which produces seventy-two types of precious and semi-precious stones, is still known as "The Gem State." Idaho is a top national producer of potatoes, trout, Austrian winter peas, and lentils. Its major industries are manufacturing, agriculture, food processing, timber, and mining. Tourism is another way that Idaho capitalizes on its natural resources. The same vast tracts of unspoiled wilderness that attracted Ernest Hemingway to the region in the early 1960s continue to provide outdoor enthusiasts with excellent camping, hunting, fishing, as well as whitewater kayaking and rafting, and skiing.{{cite web | place = Washington, D.C., US | url = http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/mar04.html | title = Today in History: March 4 | website = Memory | publisher = Library of Congress | access-date = July 30, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100727164920/http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/mar04.html | archive-date = July 27, 2010 | url-status = live }}

Idaho has a state gambling lottery, which contributed $333.5 million in payments to all Idaho public schools and Idaho higher education from 1990 to 2006.{{cite web

|title=Facts at a Glance

|publisher=Idaho Lottery

|year=2007

|url=http://idaholottery.com/facts.asp

|access-date=April 29, 2007

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613232433/http://idaholottery.com/facts.asp

|archive-date=June 13, 2007

|url-status=dead

}}

US ID AmericanFalls.jpg|American Falls Dam

Wheat harvest.jpg|Wheat harvest on the Palouse

Tax is collected by the Idaho State Tax Commission.{{cite web| url = https://tax.idaho.gov/| title = Idaho State Tax Commission - Official Website}}

The state personal income tax is a flat 5.8%. Idahoans may apply for state tax credits for taxes paid to other states, as well as for donations to Idaho state educational entities and some nonprofit youth and rehabilitation facilities.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}

The state sales tax is 6% with a very limited, selective local option up to 6.5%. Sales tax applies to the sale, rental or lease of tangible personal property and some services. Food is taxed, but prescription drugs are not. Hotel, motel, and campground accommodations are taxed at a higher rate (7% to 11%). Some jurisdictions impose local option sales tax.{{Cite web |title=Local Option Tax |url=https://bonnersferry.id.gov/local-option-tax/ |access-date=2024-04-15 |website=City of Bonners Ferry |language=en-US}}

The sales tax was introduced at 3% in 1965, easily approved by voters,{{cite news |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kw0zAAAAIBAJ&pg=6680%2C2966915 |newspaper = Spokesman-Review |agency = Associated Press |title = Conservatism given credit by Samuelson |date = November 10, 1966 |page = 1 |access-date = November 20, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151121000834/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kw0zAAAAIBAJ&sjid=rugDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6680%2C2966915 |archive-date = November 21, 2015 |url-status = live }} where it remained at 3% until 1983.{{cite web|url=http://tax.idaho.gov/i-1023.cfm#sub3|publisher=State of Idaho|title=Sales tax rate history|access-date=June 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521023534/http://tax.idaho.gov/i-1023.cfm#sub3|archive-date=May 21, 2013|url-status=live}}

{{See also|List of power stations in Idaho}}

Idaho has a regulated electricity market, with the Idaho Public Utilities Commission regulating the three major utilities of Avista Utilities, Idaho Power, and Rocky Mountain Power.{{Cite web|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Energy_policy_in_Idaho|title=Energy policy in Idaho|website=Ballotpedia|access-date=July 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108120418/https://ballotpedia.org/Energy_policy_in_Idaho|archive-date=November 8, 2018|url-status=live}}

Idaho consumes almost four times more energy than it produces. In 2022, renewable energy sources accounted for 75% of the total electricity generated in the state, the fourth-highest share of renewable electricity for any state.{{cite web |url=https://www.eia.gov/state/print.php?sid=ID |title=Idaho State Energy Profile, Utility-Scale Net Electricity Generation (share of total) |publisher=U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) |date=April 20, 2023 |access-date=July 14, 2023}} In 2022, half of Idaho's utility-scale (1 megawatt or larger) electricity generating capacity is at hydroelectric power plants, 25% from natural gas, 17% of the state's total in-state electricity net generation came from wind facilities, 4% from solar and 1% from geothermal.[https://www.eia.gov/state/analysis.php?sid=ID Idaho, State Profile and Energy Estimates], EIA, Updated April 20, 2023 Washington State provides most of the natural gas used in Idaho through one of the two major pipeline systems supplying the state.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}

Idaho has an upper-boundary estimate of development potential to generate 44,320 GWh/year from 18,076 MW of wind power, and 7,467,000 GWh/year from solar power using 2,061,000 MW of photovoltaics (PV), including 3,224 MW of rooftop photovoltaics, and 1,267,000 MW of concentrated solar power.{{Citation | url = http://www.nrel.gov/gis/re_potential.html | work= GIS |date= August 2, 2012 | title= Renewable Energy Technical Potential | publisher = NREL | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120915115931/http://www.nrel.gov/gis/re_potential.html | archive-date = September 15, 2012 }}. Idaho had 973 MW of installed wind power as of 2020.{{Cite web |title=State Wind Energy Facts |url=https://www.awea.org/resources/fact-sheets/state-facts-sheets|access-date=October 29, 2020|website=AWEA|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031084511/https://www.awea.org/resources/fact-sheets/state-facts-sheets |archive-date= Oct 31, 2020 }}

The Idaho Transportation Department is the government agency responsible for Idaho's transportation infrastructure, including operations and maintenance, as well as planning for future needs. The agency is also responsible for overseeing the disbursement of federal, state, and grant funding for the transportation programs of the state.{{Cite web | title = FAQs | publisher = ITD | date = Jan 24, 2007 | url = http://itd.idaho.gov/NewsAndInfo/faqs.htm | access-date = April 22, 2007 | quote = The transportation department also oversees federal grants to 15 rural and urban public transportation systems, provides state rail planning and rail-project development and supports bicycle and pedestrian projects. | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070426120934/http://itd.idaho.gov/NewsAndInfo/faqs.htm | archive-date = April 26, 2007 | url-status = dead }}

{{Main|List of state highways in Idaho}}

File:I-15.svg shield]]

File:US 95.svg]]

Major federal aid highways in Idaho:

{{div col|colwidth=8em|content=

• North/South
• {{jct|state=ID|US|89}}
• {{jct|state=ID|US|91}}
• {{jct|state=ID|US|93}}
• {{jct|state=ID|US|95}}
• West/East
• {{jct|state=ID|US|2}}
• {{jct|state=ID|US|12}}
• {{jct|state=ID|US|20}}
• {{jct|state=ID|US|26}}
• {{jct|state=ID|US|30}}
• Interstates
• {{jct|state=ID|I|15}}
• {{jct|state=ID|I|84}}
• {{jct|state=ID|I|86}}
• {{jct|state=ID|I|90}}
• {{jct|state=ID|I|184}}

}}

Major airports include the Boise Airport which serves the southwest region of Idaho and the Spokane International Airport (in Spokane, Washington) which serves northern Idaho. Other airports with scheduled service are the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport serving the Palouse; the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Airport, serving the Lewis-Clark Valley and north central and west central Idaho; The Magic Valley Regional Airport in Twin Falls; Friedman Memorial Airport in Hailey; the Idaho Falls Regional Airport; and the Pocatello Regional Airport.{{cite web|url=http://traveltips.usatoday.com/major-airports-idaho-25709.html|title=Major Airports in Idaho|website=Traveltips.usatoday.com|access-date=September 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904043747/http://traveltips.usatoday.com/major-airports-idaho-25709.html|archive-date=September 4, 2017|url-status=live}}

{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2022}}

Idaho is served by three transcontinental railroads. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) connects the Idaho Panhandle with Seattle, Portland, and Spokane to the west, and Minneapolis and Chicago to the east. The BNSF travels through Kootenai, Bonner, and Boundary counties. The Union Pacific Railroad crosses North Idaho, entering from Canada through Boundary and Bonner, and proceeding to Spokane. Canadian Pacific Railway uses Union Pacific Railroad tracks in North Idaho, carrying products from Alberta to Spokane and Portland, Oregon. Amtrak's Empire Builder crosses northern Idaho, with its only stop being in Sandpoint. Montana Rail Link also operates between Billings, Montana, and Sandpoint, Idaho.

The Union Pacific Railroad also crosses southern Idaho traveling between Portland, Oregon, Green River, Wyoming, and Ogden, Utah, and serves Boise, Nampa, Twin Falls, and Pocatello.

The Port of Lewiston is the farthest inland Pacific port on the west coast. A series of dams and locks on the Snake River and Columbia River facilitate barge travel from Lewiston to Portland, where goods are loaded on ocean-going vessels.{{Cite web |title=Who We Are |url=https://portoflewiston.com/our-port/who-we-are/ |access-date=2023-10-17 |website=Port of Lewiston |language=en-US}}

File:Boise Idaho.jpg in Boise]]

{{see also|Idaho Constitutional Convention}}

The constitution of Idaho is roughly modeled on the national constitution, with several additions. The constitution defines the form and functions of the state government, and may be amended through plebiscite. The state constitution presently requires the state government to maintain a balanced budget.{{cite web|url=https://history.idaho.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/ID%20Constitution%2010_30_2014.pdf|title=Constitution of the State of Idaho|website=History.idaho.gov|access-date=September 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525200628/https://history.idaho.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/ID%20Constitution%2010_30_2014.pdf|archive-date=May 25, 2017|url-status=dead}}

All of Idaho's state laws are contained in the Idaho Code and Statutes. The code is amended through the legislature with the approval of the governor. Idaho still operates under its original (1889) state constitution.

Idaho has one of the strictest abortion laws in the nation.{{Cite web |last=Bendix |first=Aria |date=April 6, 2023 |title=Idaho becomes one of the most extreme anti-abortion states with law restricting travel for abortions |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/health/womens-health/idaho-most-extreme-anti-abortion-state-law-restricts-travel-rcna78225 |access-date=April 6, 2023 |website=NBC News |language=en}} In April 2023, Idaho became the first state to restrict interstate travel for abortion services.{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Elizabeth Nolan |date=2023-04-06 |title=Idaho takes aim at interstate travel for abortion. Health care providers are suing. |url=https://reason.com/2023/04/06/idaho-takes-aim-at-interstate-travel-for-abortion-health-care-providers-are-suing/ |access-date=2023-04-06 |website=Reason.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Staff |date=2023-04-06 |title=Idaho governor signs 'abortion trafficking' bill into law |url=https://apnews.com/article/idaho-abortion-minors-criminalization-b8fb4b6feb9b520d63f75432a1219588 |access-date=2023-04-06 |website=Associated Press |language=en}} Nearly all abortions are banned and private citizens can sue abortion providers. The Idaho Supreme Court has ruled there is no constitutional right to abortion. A federal judge ruled in 2022 that doctors cannot be punished for performing an abortion to protect a patient's health.[https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/us/abortion-laws-roe-v-wade.html Tracking the States Where Abortion Is Now Banned], The New York Times, updated May 10, 2023. The state abortion laws have led to an outmigration of physicians who specialize in maternal/fetal care.[https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/13/us/idaho-abortion-doctors-drain/index.html , Idaho’s murky abortion law is driving doctors out of the state], Randi Kaye, Stephen Samaniego, CNN, May 13, 2023

{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2022}}

The constitution of Idaho provides for three branches of government: the executive, legislative and judicial branches. Idaho has a bicameral legislature, elected from 35 legislative districts, each represented by one senator and two representatives.

Since 1946, statewide elected constitutional officers have been elected to four-year terms. They include: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Idaho state controller (Auditor before 1994), Treasurer, Attorney General, and Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Last contested in 1966, Inspector of Mines was an originally elected constitutional office. Afterward it was an appointed position and ultimately done away with entirely in 1974.

Idaho's government has an alcohol monopoly; the Idaho State Liquor Division.

{{Further |List of Governors of Idaho||Lieutenant Governor of Idaho|Secretary of State of Idaho}}

The governor of Idaho serves a four-year term and is elected during what is nationally referred to as midterm elections. As such, the governor is not elected in the same election year as the president of the United States. The current governor is Republican Brad Little, who was first elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. Idaho is 1 of 13 states with no term limits for Governor.The other 12 are Washington, Utah, Texas, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, & New Hampshire. [https://www.termlimits.com/which-states-have-term-limits-on-governor/]

{{Main |Idaho Legislature}}

File:House of Representatives Chamber, Idaho State Capitol.jpg

Idaho's legislature is part-time. Because of this, Idaho's legislators are considered "citizen legislators", meaning their position as a legislator is not their main occupation. However, the session may be extended if necessary, and often is.

Terms for both the Senate and House of Representatives are two years. Legislative elections occur every even numbered year.

Both of Idaho's state legislative chambers have been continuously controlled by Republicans since 1960, although Democratic legislators are routinely elected from Boise, Pocatello, Blaine County and the northern Panhandle.

{{Main |Courts of Idaho}}

The highest court in Idaho is the Idaho Supreme Court. There is also an intermediate appellate court, the Idaho Court of Appeals, which hears cases assigned to it from the Supreme Court. The state's District Courts serve seven judicial districts.{{cite web|url=http://www.isc.idaho.gov/district.htm |title=Idaho District Court Websites |publisher=ISC |place=ID |access-date=December 17, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216011413/http://www.isc.idaho.gov/district.htm |archive-date=December 16, 2008 }}

{{See also|Political party strength in Idaho|United States presidential elections in Idaho}}{{More citations needed section|date=November 2020}}[[File:Party registration by Idaho county.svg|thumb|Party registration by Idaho county (January 2023):

{{legend|#ffb2b2|2=Republican >= 40%}}

{{legend|#e27f7f|2=Republican >= 50%}}

{{legend|#d75d5d|2=Republican >= 60%}}

{{legend|#d72f30|2=Republican >= 70%}}

{{legend|#c21b18|2=Republican >= 80%}}

{{legend|#80ff80|2=Unaffiliated >= 40%}}

]]

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Voter Registration Totals as of August 2024{{Cite web|url=https://sos.idaho.gov/elections-division/voter-registration-totals/|title=Voter Registration Totals|publisher=Idaho Department of State}}

|-

! colspan = 2 | Party

! Number of Voters

! Percentage

|-

| {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}

| Republican

| style="text-align:center;"| 604,287

| style="text-align:center;"| 59.57%

|-

| {{party color cell|Independent politician}}

| Unaffiliated

| style="text-align:center;"| 266,604

| style="text-align:center;"| 26.28%

|-

| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}}

|Democratic

| style="text-align:center;"| 127,623

| style="text-align:center;"| 12.58%

|-

| {{party color cell|Libertarian Party (United States)}}

|Libertarian

| style="text-align:center;"| 11,575

| style="text-align:center;"| 1.14%

|-

| {{party color cell|Constitution Party (United States)}}

|Constitution

| style="text-align:center;" | 4,294

| style="text-align:center;" | 0.42%

|-

! colspan="2" | Total

! style="text-align:center;" | 1,014,383

! style="text-align:center;" | 100.00%

|-

|}

After the Civil War, many Midwestern and Southern Democrats moved to the Idaho Territory. As a result, the early territorial legislatures were solidly Democrat-controlled. In contrast, most of the territorial governors were appointed by Republican presidents and were Republicans. This led to sometimes-bitter clashes between the two parties, including a range war with the Democrats backing the sheepherders and the Republicans the cattlemen, which ended in the "Diamondfield" Jack Davis murder trial. In the 1880s, Republicans became more prominent in local politics.

In 1864, Clinton DeWitt Smith removed the territorial seal and the state constitution from a locked safe, and took them to Boise. This effectively moved the capital from where they were stored (Lewiston, Idaho) to the current capital, Boise.{{cite web|url=http://idahoptv.org/capitoloflight/article-05.cfm|title=Capitol Move or Theft?—Essays—Capitol of Light (Idaho Public Television)|website=Idahotv.org|access-date=September 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525200618/http://idahoptv.org/capitoloflight/article-05.cfm|archive-date=May 25, 2017|url-status=dead}}

Since statehood, the Republican Party has usually been the dominant party in Idaho. At one time, Idaho had two Democratic parties, one being the mainstream and the other called the Anti-Mormon Democrats, lasting into the early 20th century. In the 1890s and early 1900s, the Populist Party enjoyed prominence, while the Democratic Party maintained a brief dominance in the 1930s during the Great Depression. Since World War{{nbsp}}II, most statewide-elected officials have been Republicans, though the Democrats did hold the majority in the House (by one seat) in 1958 and the governorship from 1971 to 1995.

Idaho Congressional delegations have also been generally Republican since statehood. Several Idaho Democrats have had electoral success in the U.S. House of Representatives over the years, but the Senate delegation has been a Republican stronghold for decades. Several Idaho Republicans, including current Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, have won reelection to the Senate, but only Frank Church has won reelection as a Democrat. Church's 1974 victory was the last win for his party for either Senate seat, and Walt Minnick's 2008 victory in the 1st congressional district was the last Democratic win in any congressional race.

In modern times, Idaho has been a reliably Republican state in presidential politics. It has not supported a Democrat for president since 1964. Even in that election, Lyndon B. Johnson defeated Barry Goldwater in the state by fewer than two percentage points, compared to a landslide nationally. In 2004, Republican George W. Bush carried Idaho by a margin of 38 percentage points and with 68.4% of the vote, winning in 43 of 44 counties. Only Blaine County, which contains the Sun Valley ski resort, supported John Kerry, who owns a home in the area. In 2008 Barack Obama's 36.1 percent{{Citation | url = http://www.idsos.state.id.us/elect/RESULTS/2008/general/tot_stwd.htm | place = ID | publisher = Secretary of State Election Division | date = November 4, 2008 | title = General Election Results | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081215210242/http://www.idsos.state.id.us/ELECT/RESULTS/2008/general/tot_stwd.htm | archive-date = December 15, 2008}}. showing was the best for a Democratic presidential candidate in Idaho since 1976. However, Republican margins were narrower in 1992 and 1976.

In the 2006 elections, Republicans, led by gubernatorial candidate Butch Otter, won all the state's constitutional offices and retained both of the state's seats in the House. However, Democrats picked up several seats in the Idaho Legislature, notably in the Boise area.{{Citation|url=http://www.ncsl.org/ncsldb/elect98/profile.cfm?yearsel=2006&statesel=ID |publisher=NCSL |title=Elections 1 998 |type=profile |year=2006 |contribution=ID |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090501023622/http://www.ncsl.org/ncsldb/elect98/profile.cfm?yearsel=2006&statesel=ID |archive-date=May 1, 2009 }}

Republicans lost one of the House seats in 2008 to Minnick, but Republican Jim Risch retained Larry Craig's Senate seat for the GOP by a comfortable margin.{{Citation|url=http://www.sos.idaho.gov/ELECT/results/ENR/statewide_total.html |year=2008 |contribution=Statewide totals |title=Election |type=results |place=ID |publisher=State government |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150220191630/http://www.sos.idaho.gov/ELECT/results/ENR/statewide_total.html |archive-date=February 20, 2015 }} Minnick lost his seat in the 2010 election to Republican State Rep. Raul Labrador.

Idaho retains the death penalty. Pending the outcome of a legal challenge on a bill passed on 20 March 2023, authorized methods of execution include the firing squad.{{cite web | url=https://apnews.com/article/idaho-firing-squad-executions-410bd284ffbdb50d3b4a162fe8088dad | title=Idaho poised to allow firing-squad executions in some cases | website=Associated Press | date=March 20, 2023 }} Abortion care is severely restricted in Idaho.{{cite web |title=Idaho |url=https://reproductiverights.org/maps/state/idaho |website=Center for Reproductive Rights |access-date=4 September 2024}}

{{More citations needed|section|date=April 2022}}

{{see also|List of school districts in Idaho|List of high schools in Idaho|List of colleges and universities in Idaho}}

As of January 2020, the State of Idaho contains 105 school districts{{cite web |title=School Districts |url=https://www.idaho.gov/education/school-districts/ |website=idaho.gov |publisher=State of Idaho |access-date=January 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200121052701/https://www.idaho.gov/education/school-districts/ |archive-date=January 21, 2020}} and 62 charter schools.{{cite web |title=Charter School List |url=https://www.sde.idaho.gov/school-choice/charter/files/idaho-schools/List-of-Charter-Schools.pdf |website=sde.idaho.gov |publisher=Idaho State Department of Education |access-date=January 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200121052532/https://www.sde.idaho.gov/school-choice/charter/files/idaho-schools/List-of-Charter-Schools.pdf |archive-date=January 21, 2020}} The school districts range in enrollment from two to 39,507 students.{{cite web |title=Enrollment-by-District-and-Charter-School |url=https://www.sde.idaho.gov/finance/files/attendance-enrollment/enrollment/Enrollment-by-District-and-Charter.xlsx |website=sde.idaho.gov |publisher=Idaho State Department of Education |access-date=January 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200121054528/https://www.sde.idaho.gov/finance/files/attendance-enrollment/enrollment/Enrollment-by-District-and-Charter.xlsx |archive-date=January 21, 2020}}

Idaho school districts are governed by elected school boards, which are elected in November of odd-numbered years,{{cite web |last1=Richert |first1=Kevin |title=Coming Tuesday: A First-of-its-kind School Election Day |url=https://www.idahoednews.org/news/coming-tuesday-a-first-of-its-kind-school-election-day/ |website=idahoednews.org |date=October 31, 2019 |publisher=Idaho Ed News |access-date=January 21, 2020}} except for the Boise School District, whose elections are held in September.{{cite web |last1=Ward |first1=Xavier |title=Boise School District could align with election calendar, but opts not to |url=https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/boise-school-district-could-align-with-election-calendar-but-opts/article_1db06dab-e768-5307-b052-65424a35053e.html |website=idahopress.com |date=January 19, 2019 |publisher=Idaho Press |access-date=January 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190123175059/https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/boise-school-district-could-align-with-election-calendar-but-opts/article_1db06dab-e768-5307-b052-65424a35053e.html |archive-date=January 23, 2019}}

File:Spori Building.jpg in Rexburg]]

File:Idaho State University.jpg in Pocatello]]

File:UI-arboretum-spring-moscow-id-us.png Arboretum in Moscow]]

The Idaho State Board of Education oversees three comprehensive universities.{{cite web| url = https://boardofed.idaho.gov/board-facts/board-governance-structure/state-public-education-institutions/| title = Public Education Institutions {{!}} Idaho State Board of Education}} The University of Idaho in Moscow was the first university in the state (founded in 1889). It opened its doors in 1892 and is the land-grant institution and primary research university of the state. Idaho State University in Pocatello opened in 1901 as the Academy of Idaho, attained four-year status in 1947 and university status in 1963. Boise State University is the most recent school to attain university status in Idaho. The school opened in 1932 as Boise Junior College and became Boise State University in 1974. Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston is the only public, non-university four-year college in Idaho. It opened as a normal school in 1893.{{Cite web |title=History & Overview - Office of the President {{!}} Lewis-Clark State |url=https://www.lcsc.edu/president/history-overview |access-date=2022-09-23 |website=Lewis-Clark State College |language=en-US}}

Idaho has four regional community colleges: North Idaho College in Coeur d'Alene; College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls; College of Western Idaho in Nampa, which opened in 2009, College of Eastern Idaho in Idaho Falls, which transitioned from a technical college in 2017.

Private institutions in Idaho are Boise Bible College, affiliated with congregations of the Christian churches and churches of Christ; Brigham Young University-Idaho in Rexburg, which is affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a sister college to Brigham Young University; The College of Idaho in Caldwell, which still maintains a loose affiliation with the Presbyterian Church; Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa; and New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, of reformed Christian theological background. McCall College is a non-affiliated two-year private college in McCall, which was founded in 2011 and later opened in 2013.

{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|

• Boise Bible College
• Boise State University
• Brigham Young University-Idaho (formerly Ricks College)
• College of Idaho (formerly Albertson College of Idaho)
• College of Southern Idaho
• College of Western Idaho
• College of Eastern Idaho
• Idaho State University
• Lewis-Clark State College
• McCall College
• New Saint Andrews College
• North Idaho College
• Northwest Nazarene University
• University of Idaho

}}

In October 2024, a health department in Idaho voted to stop providing Covid vaccines to residents in six counties. More than 290 people submitted comments calling for an end to vaccine mandates in the counties.{{Cite web

|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/covid-ap-idaho-vaccinations-florida-b2639823.html

|title=An Idaho health department isn't allowed to give COVID-19 vaccines anymore. Experts say it's a first

|date= 1 November 2024

|work=The Independent

}}

{{More citations needed|section|date=April 2022}}

Central Idaho is home to one of North America's oldest ski resorts, Sun Valley, where the world's first chairlift was installed in 1936.{{cite news|last1=Engber|first1=Daniel|title=Who Made That Ski Lift?|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/magazine/who-made-that-ski-lift.html?_r=0|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 21, 2014|access-date=December 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160717205054/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/magazine/who-made-that-ski-lift.html?_r=0|archive-date=July 17, 2016|url-status=live}} Other noted outdoor sites include Hells Canyon, the Salmon River, and its embarkation point of Riggins.

{| class="wikitable" "text-align:center;;"

|-

! Club

! Sport

! League

|-

| Boise Hawks

| align=center|Baseball

| align=center|Pioneer League

|-

| Boise State Broncos

| align=center|NCAA

| align=center|Div I FBS, MWC

|-

|Idaho Vandals

| align=center|NCAA

| align=center|Div I FCS, Big Sky

|-

|Idaho State Bengals

|align=center|NCAA

|align=center|Div I FCS, Big Sky

|-

|Idaho Falls Chukars

|align=center|Baseball

|align=center|Pioneer League

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|Idaho Steelheads

|align=center|Ice hockey

|align=center|ECHL

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|Idaho Falls Spud Kings

|align=center|Ice hockey

|align=center|USPHL

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The Boise Open professional golf tournament has been played at Hillcrest Country Club since 1990 as part of the Korn Ferry Tour. The Open has been part of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals since 2016.

High school sports are overseen by the Idaho High School Activities Association (IHSAA).

In 2016, Meridian's Michael Slagowski ran 800 meters in 1:48.70, one of the 35 fastest times ever run by a high school boy in the United States.{{Cite web|url=http://www.milesplit.com/rankings/events/high-school-boys/outdoor-track-and-field/800m?year=all|title=United States High School Boys Rankings {{!}} Outdoor Track And Field All-Time800 Meter Run|website=MileSplit United States|access-date=April 11, 2016}}

The 1980 movie Bronco Billy was filmed in Boise for two months.{{Cite web |title=Spokane Daily Chronicle - Google News Archive Search |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FKQSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LvkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1783,1095239 |access-date=2023-07-06 }} Pale Rider (1985) was primarily filmed in the Boulder Mountains and the Sawtooth National Recreation Area in central Idaho, just north of Sun Valley.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wiEuAAAAIBAJ&pg=5556%2C3111152 |newspaper=Spokane Chronicle |location=Washington |title=Eastwood film gives boost |agency=Associated Press |date=November 30, 1984 |page=12 |access-date=January 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411135828/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wiEuAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kPkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5556,3111152 |archive-date=April 11, 2016 |url-status=live }} River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves starred in the 1991 movie My Own Private Idaho, portions of which take place in Idaho.{{cite news | last = Robb | first = Brian J | title = River Phoenix: A Short Life | publisher = Perennial | year = 1995 }}{{cite news | last = Greenberg | first = Harvey | title = My Own Private Idaho | work = Film Quarterly | date =Fall 1992 }} The 1997 film Dante's Peak was shot on location in Wallace.{{Cite web |title=That's A Wrap After A Summer Of Filming In Wallace, Idaho, 'Dante's Peak' Heads Back To L.A. {{!}} The Spokesman-Review |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1996/aug/04/thats-a-wrap-after-a-summer-of-filming-in-wallace/ |access-date=2024-09-06 |website=www.spokesman.com}} The 2004 cult film Napoleon Dynamite takes place in Preston; the film's director, Jared Hess, attended Preston High School.{{Cite news |url=http://www.localnews8.com/news/kifi-top-story/a-look-at-preston-10-years-after-napoleon-dynamite/58540729 |title=A look at Preston 10 years after 'Napoleon Dynamite' |last=Berg |first=Tyler |date=June 27, 2014 |publisher=KIFI |access-date=January 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129004604/http://www.localnews8.com/news/kifi-top-story/a-look-at-preston-10-years-after-napoleon-dynamite/58540729 |archive-date=January 29, 2018|url-status=dead}}

{{portal|Idaho|Pacific Northwest}}

• Index of Idaho-related articles
• Outline of Idaho
• USS Idaho, five ships

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• Schwantes, Carlos A. In mountain shadows: A history of Idaho (U of Nebraska Press, 1991). [https://archive.org/details/inmountainshadow0000schw online]
• Schwantes, Carlos A. The Pacific Northwest: an interpretive history (U of Nebraska Press, 1996).
• {{cite book

| last = Sims

| first = Robert C.

|author2=Hope A. Benedict

| title = Idaho's Governors

| publisher = College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs, Boise State University

| year = 1992

| location = Boise, Idaho

| isbn = 0-932129-13-7}}

• Stapilus, Randy. Idaho Myths and Legends: The True Stories Behind History's Mysteries (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020) [https://books.google.com/books?id=EX3IDwAAQBAJ&dq=HISTORY+IDAHO&pg=PR3 online]

{{Sister project links|Idaho|voy=Idaho}}

• [http://www.idaho.gov/ State of Idaho government]
• [https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/states/idaho/index.html/ Idaho State Guide, from the Library of Congress]
• {{Citation | url = http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=ID | title = Energy Profile for Idaho | publisher = DoE | place = US | access-date = December 1, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101117133720/http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=ID | archive-date = November 17, 2010 | url-status = dead}}.
• [http://www.parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/ Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation]
• {{Citation | url = http://www.usnewspapers.org/state/idaho | contribution = Idaho Newspapers | title = US newspapers | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120620062930/http://www.usnewspapers.org/state/idaho/ | archive-date = June 20, 2012}}.
• {{Citation | url = http://wikis.ala.org/godort/index.php/Idaho | title = Idaho State Databases | format = wiki | publisher = Government Documents Roundtable of the American Library Association | access-date = June 12, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080515221248/http://wikis.ala.org/godort/index.php/Idaho | archive-date = May 15, 2008 | url-status = dead }}—Annotated list of searchable databases produced by Idaho state agencies.
• [http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets/state-data.aspx?StateFIPS=16&Statestate=Idaho#.U8Lah_ldUeo Idaho State Facts]{{Dead link|date=January 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}—USDA
• {{Citation | url = http://www.nps.gov/history/NR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/4logcabins/4logcabins.htm | title = Log Cabins in America: The Finnish Experience | publisher = National Park Service | type = teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan}}.
• {{Citation | url = http://gov.idaho.gov/fyi/history/history_index.html | title = The History of Idaho | publisher = State government | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080509090534/http://gov.idaho.gov/fyi/history/history_index.html | archive-date = May 9, 2008}}.
• {{Citation | url = http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/16000.html | place = US | publisher = Census Bureau | title = Quick facts | contribution = States | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120611033538/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/16000.html | archive-date = June 11, 2012}}.
• {{Citation | url = http://www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=ID | publisher = USGS | title = Real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Idaho | access-date = January 18, 2007 | archive-date = December 9, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161209115436/https://www2.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=ID | url-status = dead }}.
• {{Citation | url = http://www.visitidaho.org/ | title = Visit Idaho | type = official state tourism website}}.
• {{Citation | url = https://uspopulation2019.com/population-of-idaho-2019.html | title = Idaho population of 2019}}.
• {{osmrelation-inline|162116}}

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