Idaho County, Idaho Eviction Risk: Very Low
5 incorporated cities and unincorporated areas. The county Eviction Risk Score is held aloft by the city of Grangeville (2.5) and a small number of dense urban cores. Rent-control coverage varies by city.
Ranked #31 of 44 ID counties
6k residents · 5 cities · 6 tracts
Idaho County eviction risk score history
Key metrics
-
Tenant beats landlord12.8%/ 100 outcomesIn court-decided eviction outcomes for Idaho County, ID, tenants prevail in roughly 12.8% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses and longer calendars.
-
Timeline23dfiling → judgmentFrom the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Idaho County, ID until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 23 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent for landlords.
-
Cost range$0.8–2.6klegal + lost rentA typical eviction in Idaho County, ID costs landlords $832 to $2,576 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent.
-
Average rent$77625% stretched on rentAverage gross rent in Idaho County, ID is $776 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey. 25% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent.
-
Renters32.2%of households32.2% of occupied housing units in Idaho County, ID are renter-occupied. A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings and a more active rental market.
-
Poverty16.8%3.1% unemp.16.8% of Idaho County, ID residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 3.1%. Both feed the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model.
Scrub 50 years
County average of 1.9/10 (Low); city scores range from 1.8/10 in Grangeville and Kooskia to 2.5/10 in Riggins. Ranked 31 of 44 Idaho counties by eviction risk - lower-risk third of the state; 30 counties carry higher risk.
How Idaho County ranks in Idaho
Landlord guides for Idaho
| City↕ | Population↕ | Risk↕ | % income on rent↕ | Average rent↕ | Lean↕ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | Grangeville | 3,515 | 1.8 | 28.8% | $699 | Rep |
| 002 | Cottonwood | 1,131 | 2.2 | 18.6% | $1,010 | Rep |
| 003 | Kooskia | 687 | 1.8 | 17.8% | $831 | Rep |
| 004 | Riggins | 263 | 2.5 | 29.1% | $636 | Rep |
| 005 | Elk City | 202 | 2.0 | 11.4% | $810 | Rep |
County heatmap
One county, multiple regulatory regimes.
Idaho County sits in the lower-risk third of Idaho eviction laws's 44 counties, carrying an average eviction risk score of 1.9/10 - a Low rating that reflects the county's sparse population, modest rents, and landlord-friendly state framework. With a total population of roughly 5,798 spread across a handful of small communities, this is one of the least dense rental markets in the state. Landlords operating here generally face shorter legal timelines and lower procedural costs than they would in Idaho's more urbanized counties.
The county seat of Grangeville eviction risk anchors the local rental market with a population of about 3,515 and a risk score of 1.8/10 - the joint-lowest in the county alongside Kooskia (pop. 687). Cottonwood (pop. 1,131) scores 2.2/10, and Riggins, the county's riskiest city, reaches 2.5/10 despite having only 263 residents. That spread - from 1.8 to 2.5 - stays entirely within the Low band, meaning no city in Idaho County crosses into moderate territory. Average rents across the county sit at $776 per month, with renters allocating an average of 24.9% of income toward housing costs. Roughly 32.2% of households rent rather than own, and the county's poverty rate averages 16.8% - a figure worth watching because elevated poverty can accelerate payment stress even where rents are low in absolute terms.
Procedurally, Idaho landlords operate under Idaho Code § 6-301 et seq. (Forcible Entry and Detainer). Non-payment and lease-violation notices carry a 3-day cure period; no-cause terminations require a 30-day notice. Court filing fees range from $160 to $260, sheriff lockout fees add $30 to $120, and attorney costs typically fall between $500 and $2,500 depending on contested status. An uncontested case resolves in roughly 21 to 45 days; a contested dispute can stretch to 45 to 120 days. Idaho has no rent control and preempts local rent control ordinances statewide, so no city within Idaho County can cap rents independently. Source of income is not a protected class under Idaho state law, and just cause is not required to terminate a tenancy at lease end. Retaliation and habitability protections for tenants are addressed under Idaho Code § 6-320. These statutory defaults favor landlords relative to most coastal states, and they apply uniformly across all five cities tracked in the county.
Idaho County's Low risk score reflects a combination of minimal tenant-protection statutes, below-average rents relative to Idaho eviction laws's broader market, and a small, spread-out renter population across communities like Grangeville eviction risk, Cottonwood, and Kooskia.
Eviction filings in Idaho County
In May 2025, 1 eviction filings were recorded in Idaho County, 100.0% of the historical average (near average).1
- 1May 2025
- 100.0%of historical avg
- 1,307Renter households
- 10.8%Poverty rate
How Idaho County compares
At 1.9/10, Idaho County scores slightly below nearby Fremont County (2.02/10) and Power County (2.04/10), and is roughly in line with Benewah County (1.95/10) and Bear Lake County (1.96/10) - all Low-band markets with similar landlord-friendly statutory environments and modest average rents.