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Onaway vs Potlatch

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (4.4× in Potlatch) and typical home built (37 yrs in Potlatch).

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Onaway, IDA small town of 263Idaho · 263 people
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Potlatch, IDKnown for its schoolsIdaho · 922 people
Swap order
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

OnawayA small town of 263
Quiet strengthsOnaway doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Onaway →
PotlatchKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 22%of ID districts Housing$310K typical home35% below the ID typical home HistorySettled in 19058 places on the National Register All about Potlatch →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Jobs per worker4.4×
Potlatch is more of a job hub
Potlatch 0.61Onaway 0.14
Typical home built37 yrs
Potlatch’s homes are older
Onaway 1975Potlatch 1938
Size3.5×
Potlatch is the bigger place
Potlatch 922Onaway 263
Property tax bill+29%
Tax bills are bigger in Potlatch
Potlatch $1,342Onaway $1,039
Bachelor’s degree++15.5 pts
More adults in Potlatch have a degree
Potlatch 25.4%Onaway 9.9%
Average commute5 min
Potlatch has the shorter commute
Onaway 33 minPotlatch 28 min
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $410 more a month in Potlatch

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Onaway$1,360/mo
Typical home $242K (Census) · tax rate 0.43% · Housing →
Potlatch$1,770/mo
Typical home $310K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.55% · Housing →

The difference: $410 a month, about $5,000 a year, between Potlatch and Onaway.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Where they are

Onaway and Potlatch share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

OnawayPotlatchOnawayPotlatch
Onaway ↔ Potlatch0.6 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
5 Onaway residents work in Potlatch (5.8% of its workers)
Work & commute in Onaway →
Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Idaho ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
–OnawayNot graded C−PotlatchBetter than 22% of districts in the state
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
OnawayPotlatch
Snow a year41″41″
January low26°F26°F
July high82°F82°F
Growing season (days)126d126d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)51st51st
Outdoors & history
OnawayPotlatch
Settled—1905
National Register places—8
Famous people born here—4
Community
OnawayPotlatch
Library hours a week—22 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

OnawayPotlatch
People
Population 263Lowest 922Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — -5.1% ID: +17.3%
Median age 45.3±19.5Highest 21% above ID 36.3±7.7Lowest about the ID average
Onaway and Potlatch are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 19%±8.4Lowest ID: 24.1% 25.8%±5.9Highest ID: 24.1%
Potlatch and Onaway are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 21.7%±10.2Highest ID: 17% 11.8%±4.4Lowest ID: 17%
Onaway and Potlatch are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 9.9%Lowest ID: 31.8% 25.4%Highest ID: 31.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.2%±7.1Highest ID: 6.3% 3.9%±3.1Lowest ID: 6.3%
Onaway and Potlatch are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $78,750±$74kHighest about the ID average $76,607±$19kLowest about the ID average
Onaway and Potlatch are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $242,300±$82kLowest 42% below ID $244,200±$25kHighest 42% below ID
Potlatch and Onaway are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,039Lowest 49% below ID $1,342Highest 34% below ID
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100Lowest ID: 46.9% 39.2%±41.2Highest ID: 46.9%
Potlatch and Onaway are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 15.2%Highest ID: 10.6% 9.4%Lowest ID: 10.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 77%Lowest ID: 72.1% 86.3%Highest ID: 72.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1975Highest 16 yrs older than ID 1938Lowest 53 yrs older than ID
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 33 minHighest 54% above ID 28 minLowest 29% above ID
Work from home 8.1%±8.1Highest ID: 13.3% 2.6%±3Lowest ID: 13.3%
Onaway and Potlatch are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 7.9%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 18.8 miHighest 18.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.14Lowest 0.61Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Pullman (23%)Moscow (22%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 6% work in PotlatchFew work in Onaway
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 0.5 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 1.0 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 127Highest 117Lowest
Schools
School district —POTLATCH DISTRICT
High school in town —Potlatch Jr./Sr. High School
Students per teacherat that high school — 14.5
Idaho average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Onaway neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Onaway’s Town Square.

Potlatch neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Potlatch’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Onaway and Potlatch

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Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Idaho towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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