City · Lewis County, Idaho

Kamiah, Idaho

Kamiah is a city in Lewis County, Idaho. It has 1,084 residents. Kamiah, Idaho has a quality-of-life score of 31 out of 100 (low), ranking #10,782 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Idaho it ranks #86 of 101 cities and towns. It ranks best on public libraries (high), suicide rate (low) and grocery stores (high). It ranks worst on drought exposure (high), distance to an emergency room (high) and average weekly wage (low).

31Low

Quality-of-life score: #10,782 of 15,651 cities and towns
Idaho: #86 of 101 in ID
Population: 1,084 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 987.4 /mi²
FIPS code: 1642400

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 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.

Safety87#2,039/15,637
Economy17#13,022/15,631
Housing72#4,211/14,977
Health26#11,536/15,609
Healthcare11#13,859/15,650
Environment15#13,126/15,453
Education42#9,008/15,649
Infrastructure9#14,288/15,650
Community39#9,486/15,651
Leisure & amenities88#1,892/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Kamiah, Idaho ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Lewis 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

Public libraries · high10.8 /10k
100/100Idaho 0.9 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesLewis County value
Suicide rate · low0.0 /100k
100/100Idaho 20.4 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataLewis County value
Grocery stores · high5.4 /10k
99/100Idaho 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLewis County value
Firearm deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Idaho 15.9 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataLewis County value
Restaurants and bars · high21.6 /10k
99/100Idaho 9.1 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLewis County value
Loneliness · low31.4%
98/100Idaho 29.7%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate

Weaknesses

Drought exposure · high100%
1/100Idaho 73%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAALewis County value
Distance to an emergency room · high20.3 mi
3/100Idaho 8.4 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesLewis County value
Average weekly wage · low$857
3/100Idaho $1,200United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLewis County value
Broadband subscriptions · low74.9%
3/100Idaho 91.9%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Median household income · low$36,071
3/100Idaho $80,852United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Idaho 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLewis County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
1,256 (2015-2019) → 1,084 (2020-2024)
−14%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedImproving
1.6 /1k (2021) → 2.8 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+72%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
62.6% (2015-2019) → 74.9% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
46.7% (2015-2019) → 37.6% (2020-2024)
−9.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
4.3× (2015-2019) → 6.2× (2020-2024)
+45%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
13.0% (2015-2019) → 19.8% (2020-2024)
+6.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

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, Kamiah, Idaho improved on 2 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 8 moved within the margin of error and 0 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.

Improved2

Bachelor's++6.8 points13.0% → 19.8%
Broadband+12 points62.6% → 74.9%

Declined2

Price / income+1.9×4.3× → 6.2×
Inequality+0.0620.414 → 0.477

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Kamiah, Idaho between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	18.3 min2015-2019	15.3 min2020-2024	−3.0 min	Within the margin of error	79%
Bachelor's degree or higher	13.0%2015-2019	19.8%2020-2024	+6.8 points	Improved	78%
Broadband subscriptions	62.6%2015-2019	74.9%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	70%
Effective property tax rate	0.57%2015-2019	0.47%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	37%
High school diploma or higher	85.3%2015-2019	90.0%2020-2024	+4.8 points	Within the margin of error	80%
Home price to income ratio	4.3×2015-2019	6.2×2020-2024	+1.9×	Declined	5%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4142015-2019	0.4772020-2024	+0.062	Declined	12%
Median household income	$31,4422015-2019	$36,0712020-2024	+15%	Within the margin of error	23%
Poverty rate	21.5%2015-2019	17.5%2020-2024	−4 points	Within the margin of error	75%
Rent as share of income	29.1%2015-2019	27.0%2020-2024	−2.1 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Rent-burdened households	46.7%2015-2019	37.6%2020-2024	−9.2 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	22.1%2015-2019	19.4%2020-2024	−2.7 points	Within the margin of error	75%

“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 Kamiah, Idaho five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Kamiah, 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, Kamiah, Idaho itself moved +3.3 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

1,084 residents (±119)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

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

Household income

546 households (±55)

Kamiah, Idaho
Idaho share

Under $25k36%195
$25k–50k28%154
$50k–75k12%†68

Homes

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

Owners and renters

546 households (±55)

Kamiah, Idaho
Idaho share

Own69%379
Rent31%167

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+21.3 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

363 workers (±65)

Kamiah, Idaho
Idaho share

Drive alone72%261
Carpool13%†48
Public transit0.0%0

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 Lewis County, the county holding most of Kamiah's residents.

Lewis County has 109 employer establishments, 291 for every 10,000 residents (1.17× the US rate of 248; 0.99× Idaho's), with 933 paid employees at an average annual pay of $41,059. The Census Bureau also counts 313 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 109; 313 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 291; US 248 · Idaho 295
Paid employees: 933
Average annual pay: $41,059; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	8	21.4	1.16×Too few to compare	66	$16,682	—
Specialty trade contractors	8	21.4	1.38×Too few to compare	12	$71,750	38
Full-service restaurants	6	16	2.09×Too few to compare	46	$15,043	—
Child day care services	4	10.7	4.38×Too few to compare	17	$10,176	3
Truck transportation	4	10.7	2.11×Too few to compare	5	$88,200	14
Ambulatory health care services	3	8	0.38×Too few to compare	12	$51,417	8
Banks and credit unions	3	8	2.48×Too few to compare	27	$79,037	—
Construction of buildings	3	8	1.06×Too few to compare	2	$50,500	15
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	3	8	2.54×Too few to compare	3	$64,333	7
Gasoline stations	3	8	2.47×Too few to compare	11	$15,091	—
Other specialty trade contractors	3	8	3.19×Too few to compare	2	$54,000	13
Religious organizations	3	8	1.44×Too few to compare	9	$12,556	—

Rank places for an industry Open Lewis County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 3,743 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

In FY2026, an estimated $258.7K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Kamiah, Idaho: $239 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $258.7K; −76% vs FY2025
Per resident: $239; US $1,994
Sole-source: 11%; US 30%
Single offer: 64%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Forest Service$268.6K100%
Defense Logistics Agency$1,5080.6%

Top recipients

PRICE CONTRACTING INC$60.1K23%
PACIFIC OASIS INC$16.9K6.5%
D F ZEE'S FIREFIGHTING CATERING, LLC$16.7K6.5%
PK EXCAVATING & DIRT WORK LLC$14.1K5.4%
COPPERSMITH ENTERPRISES LLC$13K5.0%

Spending by fiscal year

61.7KFY2017
83KFY2018
6KFY2019
678.5KFY2020
278KFY2021
169.2KFY2022
429.1KFY2023
246.1KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Support activities for forestry · 1153$141K54%
Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$60.1K23%
Special food services · 7223$16.7K6.5%
Commercial and industrial machinery and equipment rental and leasing · 5324$16.1K6.2%
Other ambulatory health care services · 6219$14K5.4%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$4,116

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Kamiah, Idaho, so they do not add up across cities.

Kamiah, Idaho's figures are part of those of Lewis County, ID and Idaho County, ID ($32.1M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.8% of that total.

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

See federal money in Lewis 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.

Kamiah, 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.

Lewis County44100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Lewis County

Largest first.

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

JSON · /api/v1/places/1642400

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends