Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 921, settled in 1875. A regional job hub with 582 jobs.
31% of working residents work locally in Cottonwood, where Idaho’s towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 8%. Among 60 Idaho towns, just 1 have a lower July high than Cottonwood. St. Gertrude's Convent and Chapel and James V. and Sophia Baker House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Cottonwood has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Cottonwood beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1910.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cottonwood, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Cottonwood.
About one in 3 of Cottonwood’s working residents works in town. 16% of Cottonwood residents live below the poverty line, above both the Idaho town median (12%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Cottonwood’s average trip to work is 24 minutes.
| Cottonwood | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $79,000 | $67,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Cottonwood Joint District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 222 | A |
NCES · EDFacts
The typical Cottonwood home is worth about $333,000, up 1.9% in a year, 30% below the Idaho typical home. 80% of Cottonwood households own their home.
| Cottonwood | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 80% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,010 a month | $1,117 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Cottonwood has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 23° and about 61 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1 crime was reported in Cottonwood in 2022: 1 property and 0 violent. In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown.
Cottonwood is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to police
Cottonwood beats the Idaho average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 29% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Cottonwood. Among 60 Idaho towns, just 3 have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Cottonwood.
| Cottonwood | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 34% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | Cottonwood | ID |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 74.8% | 70.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.8% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Idaho average. Cottonwood has grown 13% since 2020, to 921 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 25% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Idaho.
| Cottonwood | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 39.6 years | 35.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 23% | 25% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 25% | 29% |
56% women, 44% men
About 80 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.5 points). Across Idaho, 49.7% of residents are women.
| Cottonwood | ID | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.5% | 12.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.3% | 11.6% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.4% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.6% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 17.9% | 13.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.9% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10% | 11.7% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.8% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.6% | 6.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.1% | 8.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 39% | 26.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.9% | 24.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.3% | 9.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.4% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 3.3% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 900, single groups can be off by several points
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 56% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Cottonwood; the nearest are
About 7 of every 100 Cottonwood residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Idaho.
Where Cottonwood’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 notable people were born in Cottonwood.
City in the United States
Cottonwood is a city in Idaho County, Idaho. On the Camas Prairie in north central Idaho, the population was 822 at the 2020 census, down from 900 in 2010 and 944 in 2000. It is just west of U.S. Route 95, between Grangeville and Lewiston.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cottonwood has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
3 notable people were born here, including Bobby Watkins and Don Bies.