Idaho Kids Under 6 Less Likely to Have Working Parents
Idaho households with children under 18 are more common than the national average, so child care planning matters statewide.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Child Care
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The U.S. Census Bureau released 2025 American Community Survey one-year estimates for Idaho, showing the state's median age rose 0.1 year to 37.9 and median household income rose 1.2% to $84,234. Households with children and parents' work patterns in the state are a key part of the findings.
Why it matters
For Idaho families, the data point to a state with more households raising children than the national average, and a lower share of young children with both parents working, which affects how child care needs are met locally. Rising incomes alongside high housing costs shape how much families can spend on care, housing, and everyday budgets.
Idaho's child dependency ratio was 40 in 2025, compared with 35 nationally, and 59% of children under 6 had both parents in the labor force versus 70% nationally. Idaho's median household income reached $84,234, up 1.2%.
The players
U.S. Census Bureau
The federal statistical agency that conducts the American Community Survey, a primary source for household, housing, and income data used by families, planners, and lenders.
Boise
Idaho's largest metro area, which posted the state's highest median household income in this release.
Pocatello
An Idaho metro area that recorded the lowest median household income and housing value among the metros covered.
Coeur d'Alene
A northern Idaho metro area with the state's highest median housing value, according to the Census data.
The details
The figures come from one-year estimates in the 2025 American Community Survey, which covers statewide data, six metropolitan statistical areas, and six of Idaho's nine urban counties. Boise posted the highest median income among the metros, while Pocatello had the lowest income and housing value. Coeur d'Alene had the highest median housing value, and Idaho Falls had the highest share of households with children. The Census Bureau also began requesting data on public sewer connections, electric vehicles, and solar, although those results are not part of this release.
Timeline
In 2015, 38% of Idaho households had members over 60, a share that has since risen above 43%.
In 2024, 48% of Idaho renters were cost-burdened, a figure that fell to 45% in 2025.
In 2025, the Census Bureau released one-year estimates showing Idaho's median household income rising 1.2% to $84,234.
The Home Front
Idaho's 2025 figures sit within the American Community Survey series, which tracks the state's housing and household trends against national averages. The 45% renter cost-burden rate and 28% mortgage cost-burden rate frame the state's affordability picture within that longer-running data set.
If you are a parent in Idaho, consider how your household's work schedules and child care arrangements compare with the 59% of young children in the state who have both parents working. Budget for child care alongside housing costs, since rising incomes have not yet closed the gap with the cost burdens many renters face.
The takeaway
Idaho families with young children are balancing a higher share of households with kids against a lower share of parents working full-time, so planning child care early matters. Keep your household's income, housing costs, and care needs documented in one place so you can revisit them as local conditions change.
Further reading
For more on how families in the state arrange care for young children, explore Child Care coverage in Idaho.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KBOI.
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