Kootenai County, Idaho

Kootenai County is a county in Idaho, United States, in the Idaho Panhandle along the Idaho-Washington border. It had a population of 171,362 at the 2020 census and covers 1,244 square miles (3,220 km2) of land centred near 47°41′N 116°42′W.

Coeur d’Alene is the county seat, and its postal code is 83814. The county has 14 incorporated cities, more than two dozen unincorporated communities, and no CDPs of note beyond Hayden Lake and Fernan Lake Village. Kootenai County observes Pacific time and carries FIPS code 16055.

Towns & Villages in Kootenai County

Kootenai County’s settlements split between a chain of incorporated cities strung along US-95 and I-90 in the western lowlands, and a much larger number of small unincorporated communities scattered around Lake Coeur d’Alene, Hayden Lake, and the Coeur d’Alene River corridor to the east. Idaho has no civil-township layer, so the table below omits a township column. “Unincorp.” marks a named but unincorporated place; population and ZIP are — where no reliable figure exists.

Coeur d’Alene and Coeur d’Alene Junction are two distinct places: the city sits on Lake Coeur d’Alene’s north shore, while Coeur d’Alene Junction is an unincorporated rail-era crossroads several miles northwest, closer to Post Falls.

ZIP Codes

• 83814 — Coeur d’Alene (also serves Fernan Lake Village, Huetter)
• 83815 — Coeur d’Alene (also serves Dalton Gardens)
• 83854 — Post Falls (also serves Hauser)
• 83835 — Hayden (also serves Hayden Lake)
• 83858 — Rathdrum
• 83801 — Athol
• 83869 — Spirit Lake
• 83876 — Worley
• 83810 — Cataldo
• 83833 — Harrison
• 83803 — Bayview
• 83842 — Medimont

Smaller unincorporated places such as Rose Lake, Wolf Lodge, and Mica share the ZIP code of their nearest post-office town rather than carrying their own.

Geography

Kootenai County sits in the Idaho Panhandle’s Inland Empire region, where the Rocky Mountain foothills give way to a broad lowland dotted with lakes. Lake Coeur d’Alene, fed by the Coeur d’Alene and St. Joe rivers, dominates the county’s southern half, and the southernmost arm of Lake Pend Oreille reaches into its northeast corner. The county covers 1,244 square miles of land and 71 square miles of water.

Kootenai County borders Bonner County to the north, Shoshone County to the east, Benewah County to the south, Latah County to the southwest, and Spokane County, Washington, to the west.

Demographics

Kootenai County’s population was 171,362 at the 2020 census, making it Idaho’s third-most populous county and by far the largest in North Idaho. Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls are its two largest communities, together home to more than half the county’s residents. Household income in the county runs close to the Idaho median of $74,942, with the Coeur d’Alene-Post Falls corridor pulling somewhat higher than the rural east end. Population density averages about 138 people per square mile, concentrated almost entirely in the lakeside cities.

Economy & Local Life

Health care, retail, and tourism anchor the county’s economy, led by Kootenai Health in Coeur d’Alene, North Idaho’s largest hospital system. Post Falls has grown into a manufacturing and distribution hub along I-90, and North Idaho College and the University of Idaho’s Coeur d’Alene center provide the region’s higher-education base. Lake Coeur d’Alene and the Coeur d’Alene Resort draw summer tourism as a defining local industry, and the annual Ironman Coeur d’Alene triathlon and Fourth of July fireworks over the lake are among the county’s best-known events.

History

Kootenai County was organized December 22, 1864, and takes its name from the Kootenai people, whose traditional territory extends into the region. Growth stayed slow until the Northern Pacific Railway reached Rathdrum in 1882 and gold was discovered on the Coeur d’Alene River the following year, drawing prospectors and permanent settlement into the county’s eastern reaches. Coeur d’Alene itself elected a Socialist Party mayor, John T. Wood, in 1911 on a platform of clean water, public health, and anti-corruption reform.

Getting There

Interstate 90 crosses the county east-west through Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene, and US-95 runs north-south through Coeur d’Alene, Hayden, and Athol.

• Spokane, Washington — 30 miles west
• Sandpoint — 45 miles north
• Moscow — 65 miles south
• Missoula, Montana — 125 miles east

Spokane International Airport, just across the Idaho-Washington border, is the nearest commercial airport.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Kootenai County, Idaho?
It sits in the Idaho Panhandle along the Washington border, centred on Lake Coeur d’Alene.

What is the population of Kootenai County?
171,362 at the 2020 census, Idaho’s third-largest county.

How big is Kootenai County?
1,244 square miles of land (3,220 km2), plus 71 square miles of water.

What is the Kootenai County seat?
Coeur d’Alene is the county seat.

How many towns are in Kootenai County?
14 incorporated cities, plus more than a dozen unincorporated communities.

What ZIP codes are in Kootenai County?
ZIP codes range from 83801 (Athol) to 83876 (Worley), with Coeur d’Alene split across 83814 and 83815.

Where does the name Kootenai come from?
It comes from the Kootenai people, whose homeland extends across this part of the Idaho Panhandle into Montana and British Columbia.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Idaho.