Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.
Place dossier plate
SheetID-COUNCIL-ID · Council, ID 824 pop · income 11th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Council
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Council on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Arco · lowest
31,023
Arco · lowest
31,023 median HH income
15.1% of the leader · rank #1
Sand Ridge · near
43,221
Sand Ridge · near
43,221 median HH income
21.0% of the leader · rank #2
Council · this city
43,224
Council · this city
43,224 median HH income
21.0% of the leader · rank #3
Saulsbury · near
43,226
Saulsbury · near
43,226 median HH income
21.0% of the leader · rank #4
Hooven · near
43,229
Hooven · near
43,229 median HH income
21.0% of the leader · rank #5
Daniel · near
43,229
Daniel · near
43,229 median HH income
21.0% of the leader · rank #6
New Seabury · highest
206,000
New Seabury · highest
206,000 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Council on ACS population and median household income
. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 824.
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Council places in the 11th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.
11th
percentile, household income
32nd
percentile, home value
51st
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Council, ID
824 people live in Council, Idaho - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Council brings in $43,224 a year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 16.1%. Typical homes in Council are valued around $165,600, and the median resident age is 58.0 years. About 14.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 29.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 9 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Low Activity). NOAA climate normals record an annual average temperature of 49.2°F with 22.4 inches of precipitation per year.
Living costs in Idaho run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Idaho at 95.5 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Below Average). A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,173 per month statewide. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Idaho's average monthly utility costs around $170 (state average). Commute times here average 13.2 minutes, with 69.4% driving alone and 13.5% working from home, per Census ACS commuting data. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 38.5 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Very Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Council's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from comparison shortlist to climate and hazard context to schools and households to work and mobility to population change to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Council, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, commute-mode shares, matched public-school count, annual population history.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles, FBI reported-crime rates; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Comparison shortlist
Which cities make useful reference points for Council?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.
Within Idaho, the closest population matches are Athol (830 residents, $62,946 income); Inkom (810 residents, $81,528 income); Arco (842 residents, $31,023 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Komatke, AZ (824 residents); Wilson, KS (824 residents); New Seabury, MA (824 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 49.2°F, with 22.4 inches of precipitation. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Idaho is 38.5 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.
The NCES join finds 2 public schools within the city match. 14.7% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
What does the journey to work look like in Council?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 69.4%. The reported mean trip to work is 13.2 minutes.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Population change
Is Council growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +107 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +12.2% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 9 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
2020 estimate
878
2025 estimate
985
Period change
+12.2%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
How far does income reach against housing in Council?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.8 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 16.1%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
3.8×
Home value
$165,600
Household income
$43,224
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living C+
95.5 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Poverty rate F
16.1%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
14.7%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income F
$43,224
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime N/A
N/A
No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).
Council profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 61/100 (C+) · 95.5 index
Poverty rate: 21/100 (F) · 16.1%
Bachelor's+ share: 19/100 (F) · 14.7%
Household income: 11/100 (F) · $43,224
How does Council compare to other US cities?
Here's how Council stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income11% higher than other cities
Home value32% pricier than other cities
Median rent51% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Council against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Idaho only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Idaho-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Council near the bottom of Idaho's cities
Among the 215 Idaho cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Council ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Council only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#185 of 206
10th percentile in Idaho
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 215
0th percentile in Idaho
Median Home Value
#178 of 204
13th percentile in Idaho
Poverty Rate
#27 of 215
87th percentile in Idaho
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#141 of 215
34th percentile in Idaho
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Idaho only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
11th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
How Council's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$165,600Among the most affordablemore affordable than 68% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Council's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.8×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#10,173 of 15,516
More affordable than 34% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#8,028 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 3.8×, Council sits in the moderate band:
national rank #10,173 of 15,516 and #8,028 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$43,224Council, ID median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Council, ID median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Council, ID.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)14.7%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)16.1%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)29.0%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
824
Median Income
$43,224
Median Home Value
$165,600
Median Age
58.0
Poverty Rate
16.1%
Labor force participation
29.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
14.7%
Climate
Avg Temperature
49.2°F
Annual Precipitation
22.4"
Annual Snowfall
N/A
Schools
Total Schools
2
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Council's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
878 residents
2021
919 residents
2022
945 residents
2023
956 residents
2024
976 residents
2025
985 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Low Activity
Total Permits (2024)
9
housing units authorized
Single-Family
1
detached homes
Multifamily
8
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
10.9
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
0
0
0
-
2020
3
3
0
$0.3M
2021
0
0
0
-
2022
2
2
0
$0.3M
2023
1
1
0
$0.3M
2024
9
1
8
$1.6M
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
13.2 minutes
Drive Alone
69.4%
Carpool
0.0%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
17.1%
Work from Home
13.5%
Based on 193 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Idaho statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $170
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Idaho at $170 (electricity about $80 , water and sewer about $40 ).
These are Idaho statewide averages, not a meter reading for Council. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Idaho's BEA cost-of-living index is 95.5 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Council is $1,173/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Idaho statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 38.5 / 100 (Very Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Idaho statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Council sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Council compares to similar-size Idaho cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.