Power County, Idaho
Encyclopedia
Power County is a county located in the U.S. state
of Idaho
. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 7,538 (2008 estimate: 7,683).
Power County is part of the Pocatello, Idaho
Metropolitan Statistical Area
which encompasses all of Bannock
and Power counties. The county seat
and largest city is American Falls
.
Power County was created by the Idaho Legislature on January 30, 1913, by a partition of Cassia County
. It is named for an early hydroelectric power plant (1902) at the American Falls
.
of 2000, there were 7,538 people, 2,560 households, and 1,968 families residing in the county. The population density
was 5 people per square mile (2/km²). There were 2,844 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 83.78% White
, 0.09% Black
or African American
, 3.29% Native American
, 0.32% Asian
, 0.04% Pacific Islander
, 11.10% from other races
, and 1.38% from two or more races. 21.73% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race. 18.0% were of German
, 17.6% English
and 10.9% American
ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 2,560 households out of which 40.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.40% were married couples
living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.10% were non-families. 20.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.38.
In the county the population was spread out with 33.80% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 25.40% from 25 to 44, 22.00% from 45 to 64, and 10.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 101.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,226, and the median income for a family was $36,685. Males had a median income of $29,676 versus $20,930 for females. The per capita income
for the county was $14,007. About 10.80% of families and 16.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.10% of those under age 18 and 12.70% of those age 65 or over.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 7,538 (2008 estimate: 7,683).
Power County is part of the Pocatello, Idaho
Pocatello, Idaho
Pocatello is the county seat and largest city of Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the Pocatello metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Bannock...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Pocatello metropolitan area
The Pocatello Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in eastern Idaho, anchored by the city of Pocatello...
which encompasses all of Bannock
Bannock County, Idaho
Bannock County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It was established in 1893 and named after the local Bannock tribe. It is part of the Pocatello, Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Bannock and Power counties. As of the 2000 Census...
and Power counties. The county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
and largest city is American Falls
American Falls, Idaho
American Falls is a city in and the county seat of Power County, Idaho, United States. The population was 4,111 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Pocatello, Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
.
Power County was created by the Idaho Legislature on January 30, 1913, by a partition of Cassia County
Cassia County, Idaho
Cassia County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2010 Census the county had a population of 22,952. The county seat and largest city is Burley.-History:...
. It is named for an early hydroelectric power plant (1902) at the American Falls
American Falls Dam
The American Falls Dam is a concrete gravity-type dam located near the town of American Falls, Idaho, on river mile 714.7 of the Snake River. The dam and reservoir are a part of the Minidoka Project on the Snake River Plain and are used primarily for flood control, irrigation, and recreation...
.
Geography
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 1442.6 square miles (3,736.3 km²), of which 1405.57 square miles (3,640.4 km²) (or 97.43%) is land and 37.03 square miles (95.9 km²) (or 2.57%) is water.Adjacent counties
- Bannock CountyBannock County, IdahoBannock County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It was established in 1893 and named after the local Bannock tribe. It is part of the Pocatello, Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Bannock and Power counties. As of the 2000 Census...
- east - Oneida CountyOneida County, IdahoOneida County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 4,125 . The county seat and largest city is Malad City. The Oneida County Courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.Most of the county's population lives in...
- south - Bingham CountyBingham County, IdahoBingham County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 41,735 . The county seat and largest city is Blackfoot. Bingham County comprises the Blackfoot, ID, Micropolitan Statistical Area.Bingham County was created January 13, 1885, and...
- north - Blaine CountyBlaine County, IdahoBlaine County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2010 Census the county had a population of 21,376. The county seat and largest city is Hailey. The county is home to the Sun Valley ski resort....
- north and west - Cassia CountyCassia County, IdahoCassia County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2010 Census the county had a population of 22,952. The county seat and largest city is Burley.-History:...
- southwest
National protected areas
- Caribou National Forest (part)
- Craters of the Moon National Monument and PreserveCraters of the Moon National Monument and PreserveCraters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve is a national monument and national preserve located in the Snake River Plain in central Idaho, U.S.A. It is along US 20 , between the small cities of Arco and Carey, at an average elevation of above sea level...
(part) - Curlew National GrasslandCurlew National GrasslandCurlew National Grassland is a National Grassland located in Oneida and Power counties in the state of Idaho, USA. It has a land area of 47,790 acres . The land used to make the grassland was purchased between the years 1934 and 1942. The primary goal of the grassland was to improve soil and...
(part) - Minidoka National Wildlife RefugeMinidoka National Wildlife RefugeMinidoka National Wildlife Refuge is located on the Snake River Plain in south-central Idaho, northeast of Rupert. It includes about of shoreline around Lake Walcott, from Minidoka Dam upstream about ....
(part) - Sawtooth National ForestSawtooth National ForestSawtooth National Forest is in Idaho and Utah was protected in 1905 by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt as the Sawtooth Forest Reserve. Today the forest administers over 2.1 million acres of some of the most remote forestland in the lower 48 states, and there are over 1,000 lakes and 3,000...
(part)
Highways
- Interstate 86
- US 30
- SH-37
- SH-39Idaho State Highway 39Idaho State Highway 39 is a state highway located in Power and Bingham counties in Idaho. SH 39 is long and runs from its southern terminus at Interstate 86 in American Falls to its northern terminus at U.S. Route 26 in Blackfoot. Between the two cities, it passes through the city of Aberdeen and...
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 7,538 people, 2,560 households, and 1,968 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 5 people per square mile (2/km²). There were 2,844 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 83.78% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.09% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 3.29% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.32% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.04% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 11.10% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.38% from two or more races. 21.73% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race. 18.0% were of German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
, 17.6% English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
and 10.9% American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 2,560 households out of which 40.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.40% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.10% were non-families. 20.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.38.
In the county the population was spread out with 33.80% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 25.40% from 25 to 44, 22.00% from 45 to 64, and 10.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 101.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,226, and the median income for a family was $36,685. Males had a median income of $29,676 versus $20,930 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the county was $14,007. About 10.80% of families and 16.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.10% of those under age 18 and 12.70% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
- American FallsAmerican Falls, IdahoAmerican Falls is a city in and the county seat of Power County, Idaho, United States. The population was 4,111 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Pocatello, Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
- Arbon ValleyArbon Valley, IdahoArbon Valley is a census-designated place in Power County, Idaho, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the CDP population was 599. It lies within the Fort Hall Indian Reservation, just west of the city of Pocatello...
- Pauline
- PocatelloPocatello, IdahoPocatello is the county seat and largest city of Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the Pocatello metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Bannock...
(partially in county) - RocklandRockland, IdahoRockland is a city in Power County, Idaho, United States. The population was 316 at the 2000 census. It is part of the 'Pocatello, Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
Government Leaders
As of the 2010 Election, Power County has 3 New Commissioners- Vicki Meadows
- Ron Funk
- Delane Anderson