Camas County is a county in Idaho, United States, on the Camas Prairie between the Boise Mountains and the Soldier Mountains. It had a population of 1,077 at the 2020 census and covers 1,079 square miles (2,790 km2), of which 1,074 square miles (2,780 km2) is land, centred near 43°28′N 114°49′W.
Fairfield is the county seat, and its postal code is 83327. The county has one incorporated city and a handful of small unincorporated communities, no organized civil townships, and sits in the Mountain Time zone.
Towns & Villages in Camas County
Camas County has one incorporated city, Fairfield, and several small unincorporated places scattered along U.S. Route 20 and the Camas Prairie. Unincorp. = unincorporated place with a recognized name but no municipal government; several are ranch or crossroads sites with no current population figure on record.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield | City · seat | 441 | 83327 |
| Hill City | Unincorp. | — | 83337 |
| Corral | Unincorp. | — | 83322 |
| Soldier | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Blaine | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Carrietown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Magic | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rands | Unincorp. | — | — |
Fairfield holds nearly half of the county’s population. Hill City, Corral and Soldier are the county’s other named crossroads, each still recognized by the U.S. Postal Service or the Bureau of Land Management. Blaine, Carrietown, Magic and Rands are historic mining- or ranch-era place names on old maps of the Camas Prairie; no current population figures are on record for them, so they are listed without a population value rather than a guessed one. Two names from the old page — Macon and Punkin Corner — could not be corroborated against any current gazetteer and are omitted.
ZIP Codes
- 83327 — Fairfield (also serves the county seat and surrounding ranchland)
- 83337 — Hill City
- 83322 — Corral
Smaller unincorporated places without their own ZIP, including Soldier and Blaine, use one of the three post office towns above depending on location.
Geography
Camas County sits on the Camas Prairie, a broad sagebrush basin at roughly 5,000 feet elevation, bordered by the Soldier Mountains to the north and the Bennett Hills to the south. Camas Creek drains the prairie east toward the Snake River Plain. The county’s high point, on its northern boundary with Blaine County, tops 10,000 feet. It borders Blaine County to the north and east, Lincoln County to the southeast, Gooding County to the south, and Elmore County to the west.
Demographics
The 2020 census counted 1,077 residents, making Camas the second-least-populous county in Idaho after Clark County. Fairfield, with 441 residents, holds nearly half the county’s population; Hill City and Corral are its next-largest named places, each with only a handful of year-round residents. Idaho’s statewide median household income is $74,942 (2023 ACS); Camas County, a sparsely populated agricultural county, runs below the state figure. Population density is about one person per square mile, among the lowest in the state.
Economy & Local Life
Ranching, hay and alfalfa farming, and logging in the surrounding national forest land anchor the county’s economy. The county falls within the Hailey, Idaho Micropolitan Statistical Area, and many residents commute to the Wood River Valley (Hailey and Sun Valley) for tourism and service-sector work. Soldier Mountain Ski Resort, on the county’s northern edge near Fairfield, is the area’s best-known recreation draw.
History
The Idaho legislature created Camas County on February 6, 1917, carving it out of Blaine County. It takes its name from the camas root (Camassia), a lily with an edible bulb that was a staple food source for the Shoshone-Bannock people and early settlers on the Camas Prairie. Competition over the camas fields and grazing was a contributing cause of the 1878 Bannock War, when settlers’ hogs rooted up the traditional camas beds.
Getting There
U.S. Route 20 runs east-west through the county and is the main travel corridor; Idaho State Highway 20/75/26 and State Highway 46 connect north to the Wood River Valley.
- Hailey — about 25 miles northeast
- Mountain Home — about 45 miles southwest
- Twin Falls — about 60 miles southeast
- Boise — about 100 miles west
The nearest commercial airport is Friedman Memorial Airport in Hailey; Boise Airport, about 100 miles west, offers wider connections.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Camas County?
It is in south-central Idaho, on the Camas Prairie along U.S. Route 20 between Boise and Ketchum/Sun Valley.
What is the population of Camas County?
It had a population of 1,077 at the 2020 census, the second-lowest of any Idaho county.
How big is Camas County?
It covers 1,079 square miles (2,790 km2), of which about 1,074 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Camas County?
Fairfield is the county seat and only incorporated city.
How many towns are in Camas County?
One incorporated city, Fairfield, plus a handful of small unincorporated places including Hill City, Corral and Soldier.
What ZIP codes are in Camas County?
83327 (Fairfield), 83337 (Hill City) and 83322 (Corral).
What is Camas County named after?
The camas root (Camassia), a native lily whose edible bulb was a traditional food source on the Camas Prairie.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Idaho.