City · Benewah County, Idaho

Plummer, Idaho

Plummer is a city in Benewah County, Idaho. It has 1,162 residents. Plummer, Idaho has a quality-of-life score of 19 out of 100 (very low), ranking #12,740 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Idaho it ranks #101 of 101 cities and towns. It ranks best on public libraries (high), loneliness (low) and preventable hospital stays (low). It ranks worst on arts, entertainment and recreation (low), drought exposure (high) and math scores (low).

19Very low

Quality-of-life score: #12,740 of 15,651 cities and towns
Idaho: #101 of 101 in ID
Population: 1,162 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 921.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 1663910

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.

Safety55#7,069/15,637
Economy32#10,596/15,631
Housing70#4,561/14,977
Health11#13,817/15,609
Healthcare21#12,292/15,650
Environment13#13,516/15,453
Education5#14,830/15,649
Infrastructure21#12,386/15,650
Community42#9,100/15,651
Leisure & amenities47#8,294/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Plummer, Idaho ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Benewah 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 · high3.8 /10k
97/100Idaho 0.9 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesBenewah County value
Loneliness · low32.6%
96/100Idaho 29.7%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Preventable hospital stays · low1,557 /100k
96/100Idaho 1,575 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBenewah County value
Restaurants and bars · high15.2 /10k
95/100Idaho 9.1 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBenewah County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.40%
94/100Idaho 0.50%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Idaho 1.6 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataBenewah County value

Weaknesses

Arts, entertainment and recreation · low0.0 /10k
1/100Idaho 7.2 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBenewah County value
Drought exposure · high100%
1/100Idaho 73%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAABenewah County value
Math scores · low2.32
1/100Idaho 3.05United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBenewah County value
Reading scores · low2.47
1/100Idaho 3.09United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBenewah County value
Flu vaccinations · low23.0%
2/100Idaho 36.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBenewah County value
Broadband subscriptions · low75.4%
3/100Idaho 91.9%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002

Trends

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

PopulationRising
1,105 (2015-2019) → 1,162 (2020-2024)
+5.2%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
40.2% (2015-2019) → 21.0% (2020-2024)
−19 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.4× (2015-2019) → 3.6× (2020-2024)
+52%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Poverty rateImproving
25.0% (2015-2019) → 15.0% (2020-2024)
−10 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
49.5% (2015-2019) → 55.6% (2020-2024)
+6 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Income inequality (Gini index)Worsening
0.347 (2015-2019) → 0.447 (2020-2024)
+29%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483

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, Plummer, Idaho improved on 2 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 10 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

Child poverty−19 points40.2% → 21.0%
Poverty−10 points25.0% → 15.0%

Declined2

Inequality+0.1000.347 → 0.447
Price / income+1.2×2.4× → 3.6×

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Plummer, Idaho between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	16.1 min2015-2019	18.7 min2020-2024	+2.6 min	Within the margin of error	22%
Bachelor's degree or higher	10.8%2015-2019	14.0%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Broadband subscriptions	73.0%2015-2019	75.4%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Child poverty rate	40.2%2015-2019	21.0%2020-2024	−19 points	Improved	93%
Effective property tax rate	0.51%2015-2019	0.40%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	38%
High school diploma or higher	81.8%2015-2019	85.4%2020-2024	+3.6 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Home price to income ratio	2.4×2015-2019	3.6×2020-2024	+1.2×	Declined	14%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3472015-2019	0.4472020-2024	+0.100	Declined	5%
Median household income	$46,0422015-2019	$54,3062020-2024	+18%	Within the margin of error	29%
Poverty rate	25.0%2015-2019	15.0%2020-2024	−10 points	Improved	93%
Rent as share of income	28.8%2015-2019	31.0%2020-2024	+2.2 points	Within the margin of error	38%
Rent-burdened households	49.5%2015-2019	55.6%2020-2024	+6 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Unemployment rate	6.4%2015-2019	5.4%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	69%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	19.4%2015-2019	15.5%2020-2024	−3.9 points	Within the margin of error	82%

“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 Plummer, Idaho five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Plummer, 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, Plummer, Idaho itself moved −13 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

1,162 residents (±148)

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

407 households (±47)

Plummer, Idaho
Idaho share

Under $25k20%†81
$25k–50k26%†106
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

407 households (±47)

Plummer, Idaho
Idaho share

Own57%230
Rent43%177

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−12.3 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

543 workers (±79)

Plummer, Idaho
Idaho share

Drive alone85%459
Carpool5.7%†31
Public transit2.4%†13

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 Benewah County, the county holding most of Plummer's residents.

Benewah County has 275 employer establishments, 265 for every 10,000 residents (1.07× the US rate of 248; 0.90× Idaho's), with 2,172 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,353. The Census Bureau also counts 856 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 275; 856 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 265; US 248 · Idaho 295
Paid employees: 2,172
Average annual pay: $49,353; US $68,342

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

Truck transportation	25	24.1	4.76×More than typical	205	$53,717	35
Specialty trade contractors	21	20.2	1.31×More than typical	79	$40,152	100
Restaurants and other eating places	17	16.4	0.89×About typical	191	$14,995	3
Construction of buildings	12	11.5	1.53×More than typical	19	$48,526	50
Ambulatory health care services	9	8.7	0.42×Too few to compare	27	$45,630	37
Automotive repair and maintenance	7	6.7	1.34×Too few to compare	44	$51,500	11
Building equipment contractors	7	6.7	1.12×Too few to compare	45	$38,178	11
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	7	6.7	2.14×Too few to compare	17	$52,588	16
Gasoline stations	7	6.7	2.08×Too few to compare	46	$28,826	—
Limited-service restaurants	7	6.7	0.84×Too few to compare	83	$13,711	—
Banks and credit unions	6	5.8	1.79×Too few to compare	33	$37,333	—
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	6	5.8	4.76×Too few to compare	23	$13,435	3

Rank places for an industry Open Benewah County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 10,391 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 $331 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Plummer, Idaho: $0.29 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $331; +11% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.29; US $1,994
Sole-source: 100%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission$331100%

Top recipients

COEUR D'ALENE TRIBE$331100%

Spending by fiscal year

366.5FY2017
697.1FY2018
261.1FY2019
1.7KFY2021
8.9KFY2022
353.5FY2023
-1.6KFY2024
297.6FY2025

Top industries (NAICS)

Social advocacy organizations · 8133$331100%

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 Plummer, Idaho, so they do not add up across cities.

Plummer, Idaho's figures are part of those of Benewah County, ID ($522.3K in FY2026), never added to them: 0.1% of that total.

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

See federal money in Benewah 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.

Plummer, 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.

Benewah County29100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Benewah 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/1663910

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends