Idaho exceeds 2 million residents

Idaho’s population is now over 2 million at 2,001,619. 

The state’s population growth appears to have slowed, but Idaho is now the seventh-fastest growing state across the country at a growth rate of 1.5%, according to the new Vintage 2024 Population Estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.  

With an increase of 30,497 people in the last year, the Idaho Department of Labor noted that Idaho’s population has continued to grow faster than both the United States as a whole at 1% and the western region of the country at 0.9%.   

The natural population growth (the number of births minus the number of deaths) was 6,195 people, accounting for just 20% of the state’s total growth. The additional 24,282 new people were people moving to the state. 

In Post Falls, Mayor Ron Jacobson said the growth over the last few years has affected local traffic, requiring more streets and maintenance if utilities and services such as wastewater, water, police and public parks.  

“We have not and do not recruit residential growth,” Jacobson said. “People continue to move to North Idaho causing housing prices to increase.”  

Jacobson said that as more houses are built, city employees see increases in workloads. 

“The city has done a good job creating, maintaining and updating our comprehensive plan and various master plans. This allows us to handle the growth by ensuring the necessary infrastructure is in place,” Jacobson said.

Jacobson noted that impact fees are charged on new developments to help offset the costs of providing these services. 

“State legislation has limited the percentage of new construction, annexations and closed urban renewal districts we can include in our budget calculations,” Jacobson said.  

Because of the new legislation, new growth no longer contributes as much revenue as it has in the past for Post Falls and other cities. 

In Rathdrum, rapid growth has brought a new focus to affordable residential development. 

"Rathdrum has experienced notable growth in residential development over the past few years," Mayor Mike Hill told The Press. "Some of the recently completed apartment complexes still have vacancies. This could indicate a potential slowdown in housing demand, which I hope may lead to more affordable housing options."

Like Post Falls, Rathdrum is one of the fastest-growing cities in Kootenai County and ranks sixth in the fastest-growing cities in the state, according to the World Population Review database. 

The bulk of Rathdrum's population boom began in 2020 when Rathdrum's population sat just below 9,300. That number climbed to 12,343 in 2024, representing a 6.59% increase in just four years. 

Hill said that many Rathdrum residents are concerned about the level of growth taking place.

"The rapid pace of growth remains a significant concern among many of our current residents, as it often comes with challenges to infrastructure and community resources," Hill said. 

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The Idaho Capital Sun contributed to this report.

    Road work at the intersection of Highway 41 and Mullan Avenue in Post Falls.
  

    A crane has become a fixture of the downtown Coeur d'Alene skyline as high-rise residencies are built in the downtown area.