Owyhee County Demographics

A map of Owyhee County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	8,479	8,060	67.8%	67.7%
Hispanic	3,103	2,915	24.8%	24.5%
Multiracial	535	418	4.3%	3.5%
Native American/Other	303	450	2.4%	3.8%
Black	66	28	0.5%	0.2%
Asian	17	42	0.1%	0.4%

Owyhee County, Idaho has an estimated population of 12,503, an increase from the 11,913 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 67.8% White, 24.8% Hispanic, 4.3% Multiracial, 2.4% Native American/Other, 0.5% Black, and 0.1% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Owyhee County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Owyhee is about as racially diverse as it was in the 2020 Census. It is considerably more diverse than Idaho overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Owyhee County, that probability was 48.0% in 2020 and 47.6% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Owyhee County is ranked the 26th most populous county in Idaho, out of 44 counties. Owyhee County was ranked the 26th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Owyhee County's White Population

8,479 residents of Owyhee County, or 67.8% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Owyhee County is considerably lower than in Idaho overall, where 78.6% of the population is White. Owyhee County ranks 36th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 44 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Owyhee County's White population has grown by an estimated 5.2%. White residents' share of Owyhee County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 67.8%.

Owyhee County is more White than neighboring Canyon County (67.1% White), and Gooding County (63.1% White). Owyhee County is less White than neighboring Ada County (80.9% White), Elmore County (69.5% White), and Boise County (83.5% White).

Owyhee County's Black Population

66 residents of Owyhee County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Owyhee County is comparable to the share in Idaho overall, where 0.7% of the population is Black. Owyhee County ranks 19th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 44 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Owyhee County's Black population has grown by an estimated 135.7%. Black residents' share of Owyhee County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Owyhee County is more Black than neighboring Gooding County (0.1% Black), and Boise County (0.2% Black). Owyhee County is less Black than neighboring Ada County (1.3% Black), Elmore County (2.8% Black), and Canyon County (0.7% Black).

Owyhee County's Asian Population

17 residents of Owyhee County, or 0.1% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Owyhee County is comparable to the share in Idaho overall, where 1.3% of the population is Asian. Owyhee County ranks 26th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 44 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Owyhee County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 59.5%. Asian residents' share of Owyhee County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.1%.

Owyhee County is less Asian than neighboring Ada County (2.7% Asian), Elmore County (2.6% Asian), Canyon County (0.8% Asian), Gooding County (0.3% Asian), and Boise County (1.5% Asian).

Owyhee County's Hispanic Population

3,103 residents of Owyhee County, or 24.8% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Owyhee County is considerably higher than in Idaho overall, where 13.6% of the population is Hispanic. Owyhee County ranks 9th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 44 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Owyhee County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 6.4%. Hispanic residents' share of Owyhee County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 24.8%.

Owyhee County is more Hispanic than neighboring Ada County (9.8% Hispanic), Elmore County (18.2% Hispanic), and Boise County (5.1% Hispanic). Owyhee County is less Hispanic than neighboring Canyon County (26% Hispanic), and Gooding County (31.5% Hispanic).

Owyhee County's Native American/Other Population

303 residents of Owyhee County, or 2.4% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Owyhee County is comparable to the share in Idaho overall, where 1.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Owyhee County ranks 5th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 44 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Owyhee County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 32.7%. Native American/Other residents' share of Owyhee County's population has decreased from 3.8% to 2.4%.

Owyhee County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Ada County (1% Native American/Other), Elmore County (1.6% Native American/Other), Canyon County (1.4% Native American/Other), and Gooding County (1.1% Native American/Other). Owyhee County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Boise County (3.2% Native American/Other).

Owyhee County's Multiracial Population

535 residents of Owyhee County, or 4.3% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Owyhee County is comparable to the share in Idaho overall, where 4.2% of the population is Multiracial. Owyhee County ranks 25th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 44 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Owyhee County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 28.0%. Multiracial residents' share of Owyhee County's population has increased from 3.5% to 4.3%.

Owyhee County is more Multiracial than neighboring Canyon County (4% Multiracial), and Gooding County (4% Multiracial). Owyhee County is less Multiracial than neighboring Elmore County (5.2% Multiracial), and Boise County (6.5% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.