Jerome County, Idaho facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jerome County
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Jerome County Courthouse
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Location within the U.S. state of Idaho
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 Idaho's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Idaho |
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| Founded | February 8, 1919 | |
| Seat | Jerome | |
| Largest city | Jerome | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 602 sq mi (1,560 km2) | |
| • Land | 597 sq mi (1,550 km2) | |
| • Water | 5.0 sq mi (13 km2) 0.8% | |
| Population
(2010)
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| • Total | 22,374 | |
| • Estimate
(2020)
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24,578 | |
| • Density | 37.17/sq mi (14.350/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) | |
| Congressional district | 2nd | |
Jerome County is a county in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2010 Census the county had a population of 22,374. The county seat and largest city is Jerome. The county was created by the Idaho Legislature on February 8, 1919, by a partition of Lincoln County. It was named after either Jerome Hill, a developer of the North Side Irrigation Project, his son-in-law Jerome Kuhn, or his grandson Jerome Kuhn, Jr.
Jerome County is part of the Twin Falls, ID Micropolitan Statistical Area.
The Minidoka Relocation Camp, one of ten Japanese American internment camps set up during World War II, was located in Jerome County, six miles (9.6 km) north of Eden.
Contents
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 602 square miles (1,560 km2), of which 597 square miles (1,550 km2) is land and 5.0 square miles (13 km2) (0.8%) is water.
History
Jerome county's settlements are among Idaho's youngest. While Jerome County was located quite close to the Oregon Trail and subsequent stagecoach lines, it was also divided from them by the 500-ft deep Snake River Canyon. The depth of the canyon also eliminated the possibility of drawing water for farming operations. Together, those factors made the area unattractive to early Idahoans looking to settle during the territorial and early statehood era. Construction of the railroad across Idaho in the 1880's also bypassed the Jerome area with the route being run 16 miles north of the present center of Jerome City. A ferry commenced operation at Shoshone Falls on April 15, 1884, facilitating travel between the railroad and settlements south of the Snake River.
The Schodde settlement on Jerome County's western border north of Milner was established as the Schoddie Precinct under Lincoln County with a 1900 census population of 24. Completion of the Milner Dam and associated Northside Canal in 1905 brought a water supply to the north side of the Snake River that also brought farmers to the region. Eden and Hazelton were settled starting in 1905. Settlement at Jerome commenced September 30, 1907 and the Idaho Southern Railway reached Jerome on December 28, 1908. By the 1910 Census, Jerome Village contained 970 residents having been incorporated in 1909. Also by that time, Lincoln County established two precincts of Hillsdale (400 residents) and Jerome (2,032 residents). The towns of Eden and Hazelton were part of the Hillsdale precinct and the Schoddie precinct ceased to exist. By the 1920 Census, Eden and Hazelton also were incorporated as villages.
Jerome, Eden, and Hazelton were all part of Lincoln County at their formation. Eden and Hazelton became part of Minidoka County at its creation in 1913. Jerome County became the 43rd of Idaho's 44 counties on February 8, 1911. It is 3 days older than Caribou County.
Adjacent counties
- Lincoln County - north
- Gooding County - west
- Twin Falls County - south
- Cassia County - southeast
- Minidoka County - east
Major highways
Interstate 84
US 93
SH-25
SH-79
National protected areas
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1920 | 5,729 | — | |
| 1930 | 8,358 | 45.9% | |
| 1940 | 9,900 | 18.4% | |
| 1950 | 12,080 | 22.0% | |
| 1960 | 11,712 | −3.0% | |
| 1970 | 10,253 | −12.5% | |
| 1980 | 14,840 | 44.7% | |
| 1990 | 15,138 | 2.0% | |
| 2000 | 18,342 | 21.2% | |
| 2010 | 22,374 | 22.0% | |
| 2020 (est.) | 24,578 | 9.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020 |
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2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 22,374 people, 7,540 households, and 5,656 families residing in the county. The population density was 37.5 inhabitants per square mile (14.5/km2). There were 8,101 housing units at an average density of 13.6 per square mile (5.3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 80.0% white, 1.3% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 15.8% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 31.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 16.7% were German, 11.4% were English, 8.8% were American, and 7.0% were Irish.
Of the 7,540 households, 42.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.7% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.0% were non-families, and 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.39. The median age was 31.7 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,188 and the median income for a family was $45,947. Males had a median income of $30,889 versus $23,383 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,947. About 12.0% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.1% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Cities
Unincorporated community
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Jerome para niños
