Kootenai County sees jump in population

Kootenai County’s population increased by nearly 4,500 people, or 2.9 percent, in 2017, according to the Idaho Department of Labor.

The county’s population now sits at 157,637, or 9.2 percent of Idaho’s total population of 1,716,943.

The overall population of Idaho rose by a rate of 2.2 percent. Kootenai was one of 15 counties that saw a jump larger than the state average.

This mirrored a statewide trend in which populations of urban counties are rising at the expense of rural counties.

Six urban counties -- Ada, Bannock, Bonneville, Canyon, Kootenai and Twin Falls -- now total 65 percent of the Gem State’s population.

With the exception of Bannock, each of those counties saw increases of more than 1,000 people last year. Bonner County also reported an influx of more than 1,000 residents.

In terms of net migration, Kootenai County added 4,010 new residents for an increase of 2.5 percent.

Net migration for Idaho was 26,525, or 1.5 percent of the total population, according to estimates.

The 12 counties that make up the five Metropolitan Statistical Areas in Idaho accounted for 60 percent of net migration in the state.

Kootenai County experienced 1,856 births as opposed to 1,388 deaths from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017.

Statewide, there were 10,328 more births than deaths during that time frame.