Idaho›Benewah County

FernwoodID

A town in Idaho.

Is Fernwood a good place to live?

Only 2 of the 60 Idaho towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Fernwood. We don’t grade Fernwood yet; the figures below are still real.

A commuter town

98% of working residents leave Fernwood for work

Where Fernwood’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

34jobs based in Fernwood

2%of working residents work in town

17 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

Getting set up

Moving to Fernwood: who provides what

Fernwood is unincorporated, so Benewah County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerAvista11.8¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA

WaterFernwood Water DistNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA

Internet3 providers0% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC

Trash & county servicesBenewah CountyBenewah County provides services here

SchoolsSt. Maries Joint School District 41Which school depends on your addressNCES

Register to voteOnlineIn Idaho you can register online until 11 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 11 days before).vote.gov

Who runs elections hereBenewah County ClerkBenewah County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2023

ZIP code8383083830 100%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Fernwood.

Natural hazards

Very high risk in Fernwood, with inland flooding at the top

The FEMA risk score in Fernwood is 86 of 100. FEMA puts 86% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 6% to cold waves.

86risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingCold waves

Full pageFernwood’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesVery high risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters14 disaster declarations · Declared for the county Get ready0.9 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Schools

The schools Fernwood’s kids attend

Public schools: the St Maries Joint District. Its one school is below. Fernwood’s only public school teaches 72 students.

School	Level	Students	Letter
Upriver Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6	Grades K–6	72	D

Full pageFernwood’s schools pageOpen the page

The districtsST MARIES JOINT DISTRICT Every school1 school · Upriver Elementary School Questions“Are Fernwood’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts

Work & commute

Fernwood has 0.2 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out

Just 2% of Fernwood’s working residents have a job in town. Since 2013, Fernwood has added 26 jobs, to 34 in 2023. For half of commuters, work is under 17 miles away. The top destinations are St. Maries (40%), Plummer (9%) and Coeur d'Alene (6%).

2%work in town

Where working residents work

In Fernwood2%

St. Maries40%

Plummer9%

Coeur d'Alene6%

Post Falls3%

17 mi

median commute distance

jobs based in Fernwood

A commuter town

jobs vs. working residents

Full pageFernwood’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here34 jobs based here · A commuter town Where people work2% work in Fernwood Commute timesCommute times How far they goHalf commute less than 17 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

The climate in Fernwood brings snowy winters and pleasant summers

Fernwood’s typical July afternoon high is 83°F, where Idaho’s towns sit at 89°F and U.S. towns at 85°F.

56″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter24–37°

Spring33–56°

Summer47–79°

Fall34–57°

Oct 4

typical first frost

May 3

typical last frost

+1.3°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageFernwood’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 83°, January lows 24°Rain & snow56″ of snow a winter · 34 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.3° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

Fernwood stands out in Idaho and nationally, with more of its adults who have high blood pressure

Among adults in Fernwood, 14% binge drink, below both Idaho’s towns (15%) and U.S. towns (16%). For adults in the town, the share who have obesity is 37%. CDC measures, 32 in all: Fernwood beats Idaho on 1 and trails on 17.

	Fernwood	Idaho towns	U.S. towns
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)	18%	14%	14%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)	40%	31%	35%
Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES)	26%	18%	19%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)	18%	13%	14%