Rural areas home to some of Idaho's fastest growing cities

Idahoans are accustomed to hearing how quickly the state is growing. 

The Gem State is one of the least-populous states in the country, but it’s also one of the fastest-growing. U.S. Census Bureau numbers show that Idaho was the fourth-fastest growing state in 2023. As of July 2023, the Census Bureau recorded 1,964,726 people living in the state. 

Recently, the Census Bureau released population estimates for Idaho from April 1, 2020, to July 1, 2023. The data shows that many people are flocking to Idaho cities across the state. Here’s where:

The small Idaho panhandle town of Ponderay saw a 51% increase in population over the past three years, according to Census data.

Ponderay’s population was 1,296 in 2020, but by 2023, it had climbed to 1,956. That’s 660 new residents, or a 51% increase for the town. It’s located in Bonner County. Ponderay is situated on Lake Pend Oreille and is just a couple of miles northwest from Sandpoint, known for the Schweitzer ski resort. The city describes itself on its website as the “gateway to Schweitzer Mountain.”

 Here are a few of the other places with the most population increases among Idaho cities from 2020 to 2023: 

• Star — 2020: 11,264; 2023: 16,333; population increase: 45% 

• Dover — 2020: 754 2023: 1,091; population increase: 44.7% 

• Paul — 2020: 1,193; 2023: 1,725; population increase: 44.6% 

• Swan — 2020: 227; 2023: 303; population increase: 33.5% 

• Moyie Springs — 2020: 825; 2023: 1,080; population increase: 30.9% 

• Rathdrum — 2020: 9,213; 2023: 11,580; population increase: 25.7% 

• Sugar — 2020: 1,715; 2023: 2,115; population increase: 23.3% 

• New Meadows — 2020: 516; 2023: 636; population increase: 23.3% 

• Middleton — 2020: 9,436; 2023: 11,016; population increase: 23.3% 

Kuna — 2020: 24,048; 2023: 28,050; population increase 16.6%