Lemhi County, Idaho: commercial real estate data.
Lemhi County, Idaho had an estimated 8,397 residents on July 1, 2024, up 5.3 percent since the 2020 census base of 7,975, across 4,563 square miles. County output reached $546.1 m in 2024, 307 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 14 7(a) approvals worth $5.8 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Lemhi County
How many people live in Lemhi County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20248,249
- Households3,458
- Average household size2.39
- Median household income$53,202
- Median age53.3
- Median gross rent$754 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$326,100
- Home value to household income6.1 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income17.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher24.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree8.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over6,139
- Population under 181,399
- Share under 1817.0 percent
- Population 65 and over2,550
- Share 65 and over30.9 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 644,300
- Civilian labor force3,642
- Unemployment rate2.0 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over53.2 percent
- Rank by population among Idaho counties33rd of 44
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2633rd of 3,222
Lemhi County is the 33rd largest of 44 Idaho counties by population. A median home costs 6.1 times median household income, which is severely unaffordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 30.9 percent against 17.0 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single story product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Lemhi County
Is Lemhi County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20248,397
- Census 2020 base population7,975
- Population change since the 2020 census base5.29 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024-50
- Births, 202458
- Deaths, 2024116
- Natural change, 2024-58
- Net domestic migration, 2024-1
- Net international migration, 202411
- Total net migration, 202410
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024694
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents493rd of 3,144
The county has grown 5.29 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024 by more than net migration added, so the population fell even though more people moved in than left.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Lemhi County
Where are people moving to Lemhi County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving295
- People arriving, from those returns553
- Tax returns filed by households leaving172
- Net household movement123
- Adjusted gross income arriving$30.4 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$22.0 m
- Average income of an arriving household$103,132
- Average income of a leaving household$49,093
- Largest single originAda County (22 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ada County | 22 | 43 | $2.0 m |
Households arriving report $54,039 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around. The largest single source of arrivals is Ada County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Lemhi County
What is the Lemhi County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$546.1 m
- County GDP, 2023$404.0 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 202435.2 percent
- GDP change over five years102.0 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Idaho areas BEA publishes34th of 44
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2352nd of 3,127
- GDP per resident$66,198
Output grew 35.2 percent in the latest year and 102.0 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Lemhi County
Employment by industry in Lemhi County
- Covered employment, annual average2,720
- Establishments reporting455
- Average annual pay$49,342
- Average weekly wage$949
- Retail trade, employment377
- Retail trade, average annual pay$29,579
- Accommodation and food services, employment270
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$18,706
- Construction, employment207
- Construction, average annual pay$53,000
- Arts, entertainment and recreation, employment99
- Arts, entertainment and recreation, average annual pay$31,671
- Professional, scientific and technical services, employment96
- Manufacturing, employment90
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 377 | 42 | $29,579 |
| Accommodation and food services | 270 | 48 | $18,706 |
| Construction | 207 | 58 | $53,000 |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 99 | 34 | $31,671 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 96 | 34 | $124,063 |
| Manufacturing | 90 | 15 | $43,777 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 73 | 20 | $34,960 |
| Other services, except public administration | 67 | 18 | $40,174 |
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 377 jobs, 13.9 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Lemhi County
How many businesses are in Lemhi County?
- Establishments, all industries307
- Employment at those establishments2,090
- Annual payroll$88.4 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents37.2
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Lemhi County
Building permits in Lemhi County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 202445
- Declared construction value permitted$10.0 m
- Single family units authorized45
- Multifamily units authorized0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$221,273
- Units authorized per 1,000 households13.0
Single-family homes are 100.0 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Lemhi County
SBA loans in Lemhi County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded14
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$5.8 m
- Average 7(a) approval$413,664
- Median 7(a) approval$143,650
- Largest single approval$1,870,600
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)79
- Jobs per approval5.6
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active8
- Distinct industries receiving approvals13
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer42.9 percent
- Loans on real estate terms6
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter8
- Franchise loans2
- Franchise share of approvals14.3 percent
- Most active lenderZions Bank, A Division of (4)
- 504 approvals recorded8
- 504 gross approval dollars$4.7 m
- Average 504 approval$585,500
- Median 504 approval$490,500
- Distinct CDCs active3
- 504 jobs per approval5.1
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved8.8
- Most active CDCCapital Matrix, Inc. (4)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$10.5 m
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Lemhi County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Lemhi County
Do SBA loans in Lemhi County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded3
- Paid in full3
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full3
- Status: Exempt from disclosure10
- Status: Cancelled1
Only 3 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Lemhi County
How large is Lemhi County?
- Land area4,563 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Idaho counties4th of 44
- Width, east to west98 mi
- Height, north to south101.8 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary7
- Residents per square mile of land2
- Establishments per square mile0.07
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Lemhi County
Flood risk in Lemhi County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Lemhi County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 160092
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book3
- Of those, participating in the NFIP3
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Lemhi County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Lemhi County (community 160092), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Lemhi County in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 100.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Lemhi County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Lemhi County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20248,249
- Households3,458
- Average household size2.39
- Median household income$53,202
- Median age53.3
Common questions
Lemhi County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Lemhi County, Idaho?
The Census Bureau estimates 8,397 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 8,249, in 3,458 households, ranking 33rd of 44 Idaho counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Lemhi County's population growing?
The population has grown 5.29 percent since the 2020 census base of 7,975, to 8,397 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 58 births against 116 deaths, with net migration of 10. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Lemhi County?
$53,202. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $326,100, which is 6.1 times income, and median gross rent is $754 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Lemhi County?
307 establishments, employing 2,090 people with an annual payroll of $88.4 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Lemhi County?
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 377 jobs, 13.9 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 2,720 jobs at an average annual pay of $49,342, or $949 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Lemhi County?
14 7(a) approvals totaling $5.8 m since FY2020, across 8 lenders, with a median approval of $143,650, plus 8 504 approvals worth $4.7 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Lemhi County?
45 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $10.0 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Lemhi County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Lemhi County come from?
The largest single origin is Ada County, with 22 households. Arriving households report an average income of $103,132 against $49,093 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Lemhi County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Lemhi County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Lemhi County
Cities and places in Lemhi.
2 Census places lie wholly or partly in Lemhi County. All 2 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salmon | city | 3,203 | 14 | Wholly in this county |
| Leadore | city | 135 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |