City · Boundary County, Idaho

Bonners Ferry, Idaho

Bonners Ferry is a city in Boundary County, Idaho. It has 2,669 residents. Bonners Ferry, Idaho has a quality-of-life score of 46 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #8,443 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Idaho it ranks #62 of 101 cities and towns. It ranks best on preventable hospital stays (low), drug overdose deaths (low) and median Air Quality Index (low). It ranks worst on flu vaccinations (low), comfortable days (low) and uninsured residents (under 65) (high).

46Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #8,443 of 15,651 cities and towns
Idaho: #62 of 101 in ID
Population: 2,669 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 1,165.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 1609370

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety67#5,187/15,637
Economy60#6,193/15,631
Housing65#5,248/14,977
Health53#7,392/15,609
Healthcare12#13,734/15,650
Environment28#11,054/15,453
Education33#10,527/15,649
Infrastructure37#9,818/15,650
Community69#4,855/15,651
Leisure & amenities57#6,706/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Bonners Ferry, Idaho ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Boundary County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Preventable hospital stays · low919 /100k
100/100Idaho 1,575 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBoundary County value
Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Idaho 13.2 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataBoundary County value
Median Air Quality Index · low17
98/1002024U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyBoundary County value
Property crime rate · low288 /100k
97/100Idaho 605 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationBoundary County value
Job growth · high4.1%
97/100Idaho 1.9%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataBoundary County value
Loneliness · low32.5%
96/100Idaho 29.7%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate

Weaknesses

Flu vaccinations · low18.0%
1/100Idaho 36.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBoundary County value
Comfortable days · low22.6%
5/100Idaho 24.2%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationBoundary County value
Uninsured residents (under 65) · high24.0%
6/100Idaho 11.1%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Suicide rate · high26.9 /100k
6/100Idaho 20.4 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100k2024Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateBoundary County value
Dental care shortage · high18.0
6/100Idaho 9.7United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationBoundary County value
Mammography screening · low34.0%
6/100Idaho 45.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBoundary County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

New homes permittedImproving
1.6 /1k (2021) → 6.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+274%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child poverty rateImproving
36.8% (2015-2019) → 7.7% (2020-2024)
−29 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
64.5% (2015-2019) → 88.8% (2020-2024)
+24 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
30.5% (2015-2019) → 51.5% (2020-2024)
+21 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$32,000 (2015-2019) → $52,500 (2020-2024)
+64%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Poverty rateImproving
23.8% (2015-2019) → 13.4% (2020-2024)
−10 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Bonners Ferry, Idaho improved on 3 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 moved within the margin of error and 1 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Broadband+24 points64.5% → 88.8%
Poverty−10 points23.8% → 13.4%
Household income+64%$32,000 → $52,500

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Bonners Ferry, Idaho between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	25.8 min2015-2019	16.5 min2020-2024	−9.2 min	Within the margin of error	98%
Bachelor's degree or higher	19.1%2015-2019	18.7%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Broadband subscriptions	64.5%2015-2019	88.8%2020-2024	+24 points	Improved	95%
Effective property tax rate	0.65%2015-2019	0.43%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	62%
High school diploma or higher	92.3%2015-2019	89.7%2020-2024	−2.6 points	Within the margin of error	12%
Home price to income ratio	5.1×2015-2019	5.4×2020-2024	+0.3×	Within the margin of error	62%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4552015-2019	0.3982020-2024	−0.057	Within the margin of error	87%
Median household income	$32,0002015-2019	$52,5002020-2024	+64%	Improved	92%
Poverty rate	23.8%2015-2019	13.4%2020-2024	−10 points	Improved	93%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	26.1%2015-2019	30.4%2020-2024	+4.3 points	Within the margin of error	26%
Rent-burdened households	30.5%2015-2019	51.5%2020-2024	+21 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	18.2%2015-2019	24.0%2020-2024	+5.7 points	Within the margin of error	9%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Bonners Ferry, Idaho five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Bonners Ferry, Idaho in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Bonners Ferry, Idaho itself moved +3.4 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

2,669 residents (±21)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under 10 women (−3.9 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

2,669 residents (±21)

Bonners Ferry, Idaho
Idaho share

White84%2,249
Black1.6%†43
Hispanic or Latino6.5%†174
Asian0.2%†4
American Indian and Alaska Native0.9%†23
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races6.6%†176

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Other or two or more races (+5.0 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

1,895 residents (±149)

Bonners Ferry, Idaho
Idaho share

No high school diploma10%†196
High school or GED32%615
Some college31%595
Associate degree7.1%†134
Bachelor's degree13%†250
Graduate degree5.5%†105

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,054 households (±151)

Bonners Ferry, Idaho
Idaho share

Under $25k25%†260
$25k–50k23%†241
$50k–75k21%†220
$75k–100k8.7%†92
$100k–150k20%†208
$150k–200k2.2%†23
$200k or more0.9%†10

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (+15.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,054 households (±151)

Bonners Ferry, Idaho
Idaho share

Own63%662
Rent37%392

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

392 households (±114)

Bonners Ferry, Idaho
Idaho share

Under $75027%†105
$750–1,00019%†73
$1,000–1,50040%†156

Home values

662 homes (±120)

Bonners Ferry, Idaho
Idaho share

Under $150k17%†111
$150k–250k24%†159
$250k–400k29%†190

Age of homes

1,133 homes (±156)

Bonners Ferry, Idaho
Idaho share

2010 or later7.8%†88
2000–20096.4%†72
1980–199912%†141

Size of homes

1,133 homes (±156)

Bonners Ferry, Idaho
Idaho share

Studio2.7%†31
1 bedroom9.2%†104
2 bedrooms29%†326

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,261 workers (±147)

Bonners Ferry, Idaho
Idaho share

Drive alone64%805
Carpool12%†150
Public transit0.0%0
Walk12%†151
Bike3.2%†40
Work from home8.1%†102
Other1.0%†13

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (−14.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,159 workers (±145)

Bonners Ferry, Idaho
Idaho share

Under 15 min62%718
15–29 min18%†209
30–44 min6.5%†75

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Boundary County, the county holding most of Bonners Ferry's residents.

Boundary County has 439 employer establishments, 323 for every 10,000 residents (1.30× the US rate of 248; 1.10× Idaho's), with 2,941 paid employees at an average annual pay of $44,748. The Census Bureau also counts 1,288 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 439; 1,288 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 323; US 248 · Idaho 295
Paid employees: 2,941
Average annual pay: $44,748; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Boundary County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	55	40.5	2.61×More than typical	166	$51,530	135
Construction of buildings	34	25	3.31×More than typical	160	$44,469	117
Truck transportation	25	18.4	3.64×More than typical	38	$53,605	37
Building equipment contractors	17	12.5	2.08×More than typical	35	$49,314	18
Lessors of real estate	17	12.5	1.02×About typical	29	$38,552	90
Other specialty trade contractors	15	11	4.40×More than typical	72	$60,542	64
Ambulatory health care services	14	10.3	0.49×Fewer than typical	186	$56,177	49
Restaurants and other eating places	14	10.3	0.56×Fewer than typical	136	$17,000	4
Services to buildings and dwellings	14	10.3	1.53×More than typical	49	$38,143	78
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	13	9.6	3.03×More than typical	23	$52,217	22
Automotive repair and maintenance	11	8.1	1.61×More than typical	36	$50,528	27
Religious organizations	11	8.1	1.46×More than typical	42	$17,976	—

Rank places for an industry Open Boundary County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 13,596 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Bonners Ferry is mostly in Boundary County.

See federal money in Boundary County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Bonners Ferry, Idaho is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Russ FulcherR-ID-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 1.6%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Boundary County56100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Boundary County

Largest first.

Moyie Springs531,378

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

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