Who lives in Coeur d'Alene: the renters' city on the lake

Coeur d'Alene is the city of renters. About 41% of households here rent their home, the biggest share of any city we cover, according to the Census Bureau's survey. Across Kootenai County it's about 29%. About 1 in 4 homes is in an apartment building, duplex or other building with more than one unit, compared with about 1 in 6 countywide.

Smaller households

The typical Coeur d'Alene resident is about 40 years old — a median age of 40.1, right in line with the county's 40.9. But the homes hold fewer people, about 2.3 each, the fewest of the cities we cover. About 39% of households are people living alone or with roommates instead of family, also the biggest share we found. About 1 in 4 households has a child under 18, a little under the county's 28%.

The money

The typical Coeur d'Alene household earns about $72,300 a year, below the county's $81,900 and second lowest of the cities we cover. The typical owned home is worth about $483,500, below the county's $518,700. About 9% of people live below the poverty line, the same as the county.

Where the neighbors came from

About 29% of the people here were born in Idaho, and about 67% were born in another state, the same mix as the county. In a single year, about 10 of every 100 residents had moved here from another state, more than in any of the county's other bigger cities.

Work and service

About 31% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or more, about the county's 30%. About 10% of adults are veterans.

So the Coeur d'Alene neighbor is more likely to rent, more likely to live without family, and more likely to be new from out of state than neighbors in the county's other bigger cities. That's worth remembering the next time the city argues about apartments and rent.

Live in Coeur d'Alene? Tell us if this sounds like your street.

How we did this: every number in this story comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024 five-year estimates, read through Census Reporter. The survey counts about 56,400 people here. The numbers cover the city limits of Coeur d'Alene, not every address with a Coeur d'Alene mailing address. They are survey estimates, and each one has a margin of error. County comparisons are Kootenai County.