Benewah County () is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the northwest part of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

. As of the 2020 United States census the county had a population of 9,530. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

and largest city is St. Maries, which has some area inside the Coeur d'Alene Reservation. The county was established on January 23, 1915, of land partitioned from

Kootenai County Kootenai County ( ) is located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 171,362, making it the third-most populous county in Idaho and the largest in Idaho Panhandle, North Idaho, the cou ...

. It was named for a chief of the

Coeur d'Alene Tribe The Coeur d'Alene Tribe ( ; also Skitswish; ) are a Native American tribe and one of five federally recognized tribes in the state of Idaho. The Coeur d'Alene have sovereign control of their Coeur d'Alene Reservation, which includes a significa ...

. The federally recognized Coeur d'Alene Tribe is based on the Coeur d'Alene Reservation in this and neighboring Kootenai County.

Geography

Benewah County lies on the west line of the state. Its west boundary line abuts the east boundary line of the state of Washington. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.9%) is water. It is the northern part of the

Palouse The Palouse ( ) is a geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of North Central Idaho, north central Idaho, southeastern Washington (part of eastern Washington), and by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. ...

, a wide and rolling prairie-like region of the middle Columbia basin.

Adjacent counties

Spokane County, Washington Spokane County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 539,339, making it the fourth-most populous county in Washington. The largest city and county seat is Spokane, the second largest ...

– northwest *

– north * Shoshone County – east * Latah County – south *

Whitman County, Washington Whitman County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,973. The county seat is Colfax, and its largest city is Pullman. The county was formed from Stevens County in 1871. It is na ...

– southwest

Major highways

* – US 95 * – SH-3 * – SH-5 * – SH-6 * – SH-58 * – SH-60

National protected area

* St. Joe National Forest (part)

State protected areas

Heyburn State Park Heyburn State Park is a public recreation area in the U.S. state of Idaho. It is located almost entirely in Benewah County, with a small portion extending into southern Kootenai County. The park was founded in 1908 and is the oldest state or p ...

* McCroskey State Park

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 9,171 people, 3,580 households, and 2,538 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 4,238 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 88.66%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.12%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 8.94% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.25% from other races, and 1.82% from two or more races. 1.55% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. 26.6% were of German, 11.7% English, 9.5% American and 8.6% Irish ancestry. There were 3,580 households, out of which 31.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.40% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.10% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.99. The county population contained 26.90% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 25.40% from 25 to 44, 26.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 104.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $31,517, and the median income for a family was $36,000. Males had a median income of $35,097 versus $20,288 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $15,285. About 10.50% of families and 14.10% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 18.20% of those under age 18 and 9.70% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 9,285 people, 3,837 households, and 2,571 families in the county. The population density was . There were 4,629 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 86.6% white, 8.7% Native American, 0.3% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.5% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.5% of the population. In terms of European ancestry, 23.7% were German, 17.5% were Irish, 14.6% were English, 7.1% were Norwegian, and 3.4% were American. Of the 3,837 households, 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.0% were non-families, and 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 44.8 years. The median income for a household in the county was $37,500 and the median income for a family was $41,759. Males had a median income of $37,214 versus $22,348 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,312. About 11.2% of families and 15.2% of the population were below the

, including 21.6% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Benewah County voters tend to vote Republican in the last several decades. In only two national elections since 1968 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024).

Communities

Cities

* Plummer * St. Maries * Tensed

Census-designated places

* De Smet * Fernwood * Parkline

Unincorporated communities

* Alder Creek * Benewah * Cardwell * Chatcolet * Emida * Flat Creek * Hawleys Landing * Lotus * Mashburn * Meadowhurst * Miltown * Mowry * North South Ski Bowl * Omega * Pedee * Plummer Junction * Ramsdell * Renfrew * Riverdale * Rocky Point * Rover * Saint Joe * Sanders * Santa * Silvertip Landing * Tyson Creek Station * Wayland * Willard

Education

School districts include: * Kootenai Joint School District 274 * Plummer-Worley Joint School District 44 * St. Maries Joint School District 41 It is in the catchment area, but not the taxation zone, for North Idaho College. - See area 1 in:

Images

Image:Heyburn sign.jpg,

information sign Image:McCroskey map.jpg, Map of McCroskey State Park

Notes

{{authority control Idaho counties Idaho placenames of Native American origin 1915 establishments in Idaho Populated places established in 1915