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Compare towns

Plummer vs Lapwai

64 miles apart. The biggest differences: home values (+73% in Plummer) and trails (2.8× in Lapwai).

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Plummer, IDKnown for its schoolsIdaho · 1,162 people
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Lapwai, IDKnown for its schoolsIdaho · 1,021 people
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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.

PlummerKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 2%of ID districts Work638 jobsbased in Plummer, a regional job hub Health80% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Plummer →
LapwaiKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 6%of ID districts Work655 jobsbased in Lapwai, a regional job hub Health87% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Lapwai →
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.

Home values+73%
Homes cost more in Plummer
Plummer $197,200Lapwai $113,700
Trails2.8×
Lapwai has more miles of trail
Lapwai 1.4 miPlummer 0.5 mi
Property tax bill+41%
Tax bills are bigger in Lapwai
Lapwai $1,244Plummer $883
Work in town+13.3 pts
More of Lapwai’s workers stay in town
Lapwai 28.7%Plummer 15.4%
Growth since 2010+5.6 pts
Lapwai has grown faster since 2010
Lapwai +2.8%Plummer -2.8%
Average commute5 min
Lapwai has the shorter commute
Plummer 19 minLapwai 14 min
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $700 more a month in Lapwai

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.

Plummer$1,810/mo
Typical home $323K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.45% · or rent about $932/mo · Housing →
Lapwai$2,510/mo
Typical home $408K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.09% · or rent about $1,017/mo · Housing →

The difference: $700 a month, about $8,400 a year, between Lapwai and Plummer.

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.

Life in each

Plummer gets 43 more inches of snow a year

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
PlummerLapwai
Snow a year56″13″
January low24°F30°F
July high84°F91°F
Growing season (days)152d200d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)76th88th
Outdoors & history
PlummerLapwai
Trails1 mi1 mi
Conserved land0%0%
National Register places—2
Community
PlummerLapwai
Library hours a week33 hrs38 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.

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
D−PlummerBetter than 2% of districts in the state DLapwaiBetter than 6% of districts in the state
Health
C−PlummerHealthier than 20% of U.S. towns DLapwaiHealthier than 13% of U.S. towns
Where they are

64 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

PlummerIDLapwaiID
Plummer ↔ Lapwai64 miles apart
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.

PlummerLapwai
People
Population 1,162Highest 1,021Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -2.8%Lowest ID: +17.3% +2.8%Highest ID: +17.3%
Median age 30±6.2Lowest 20% below ID 30.9±5.3Highest 17% below ID
Lapwai and Plummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 26.8%±3.3Lowest ID: 24.1% 30.4%±3Highest ID: 24.1%
Lapwai and Plummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 9%±2.3Lowest ID: 17% 12.8%±2.4Highest ID: 17%
Lapwai and Plummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 14%Lowest ID: 31.8% 17.4%Highest ID: 31.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.6%±1.7Lowest ID: 6.3% 4.3%±3.5Highest ID: 6.3%
Lapwai and Plummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $54,306±$9kLowest 30% below ID $57,439±$10kHighest 26% below ID
Lapwai and Plummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $197,200±$36kHighest 53% below ID $113,700±$16kLowest 73% below ID
Rentmedian gross, monthly $932±$57Lowest 25% below ID $1,017±$146Highest 18% below ID
Lapwai and Plummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $883Lowest 57% below ID $1,244Highest 39% below ID
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 55.6%±13.9Highest ID: 46.9% 36.1%±15.4Lowest ID: 46.9%
Plummer and Lapwai are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 15%Lowest ID: 10.6% 19.4%Highest ID: 10.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 56.5%Lowest ID: 72.1% 61.9%Highest ID: 72.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1981Highest 10 yrs older than ID 1975Lowest 16 yrs older than ID
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 19 minHighest 13% below ID 14 minLowest 34% below ID
Work from home 2.9%±2.5Lowest ID: 13.3% 3.4%±2.8Highest ID: 13.3%
Lapwai and Plummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 15.4%Lowest 28.7%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.8 miHighest 5.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.82Lowest 1.92Highest
Top workplaceoutside town St. Maries (20%)Lewiston (16%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in LapwaiFew work in Plummer
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.5 miLowest 1.4 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miLowest 1.8 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Highest 1Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 62.3Lowest 90.1Highest
Schools
School district PLUMMER-WORLEY JOINT DISTRICTLAPWAI DISTRICT
High school in town Lakeside High SchoolLapwai Middle/High School
Students per teacherat that high school 10.7Lowest 11.4Highest
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.

Plummer neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Plummer’s Town Square.

Lapwai neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lapwai’s Town Square.

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Towns like Plummer

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Wilder2,074 people · $271K homes
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Arco850 people · $192K homes

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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