Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Potlatch vs Genesee

26 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (+57% in Genesee) and jobs per worker (2.8× in Potlatch).

×
Potlatch, IDKnown for its schoolsIdaho · 922 people
×
Genesee, IDKnown for its schoolsIdaho · 1,265 people
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.

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.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $890 more a month in Genesee

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.

Potlatch$1,770/mo
Typical home $310K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.55% · Housing →
Genesee$2,660/mo
Typical home $458K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.67% · or rent about $1,148/mo · Housing →

The difference: $890 a month, about $10,700 a year, between Genesee and Potlatch.

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.

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.

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
PotlatchGenesee
Snow a year41″33″
January low26°F26°F
July high82°F84°F
Growing season (days)126d143d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)51st65th
Outdoors & history
PotlatchGenesee
Settled1905—
National Register places83
Famous people born here4—
Community
PotlatchGenesee
Library hours a week22 hrs18 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.

Where they are

26 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

PotlatchGeneseePotlatchGenesee
Potlatch ↔ Genesee26 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.

PotlatchGenesee
People
Population 922Lowest 1,265Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -5.1%Lowest ID: +17.3% +7.9%Highest ID: +17.3%
Median age 36.3±7.7Highest about the ID average 32.6±4.5Lowest 13% below ID
Potlatch and Genesee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 25.8%±5.9Lowest ID: 24.1% 29.7%±5.1Highest ID: 24.1%
Genesee and Potlatch are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 11.8%±4.4Highest ID: 17% 11.6%±2.1Lowest ID: 17%
Potlatch and Genesee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 25.4%Lowest ID: 31.8% 40.7%Highest ID: 31.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.9%±3.1Lowest ID: 6.3% 6.1%±3.7Highest ID: 6.3%
Genesee and Potlatch are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $76,607±$19kLowest about the ID average $85,673±$18kHighest 10% above ID
Genesee and Potlatch are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $244,200±$25kLowest 42% below ID $316,800±$33kHighest 24% below ID
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $1,148±$46 7% below ID
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,342Lowest 34% below ID $2,113Highest 4% above ID
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 39.2%±41.2Lowest ID: 46.9% 71.4%±33.5Highest ID: 46.9%
Genesee and Potlatch are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 9.4%Lowest ID: 10.6% 12%Highest ID: 10.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 86.3%Highest ID: 72.1% 85.4%Lowest ID: 72.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1938Lowest 53 yrs older than ID 1974Highest 17 yrs older than ID
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minHighest 29% above ID 23 minLowest 5% above ID
Work from home 2.6%±3Lowest ID: 13.3% 8.2%±4.5Highest ID: 13.3%
Genesee and Potlatch are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 7.9%Highest 3.1%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 18.3 miHighest 12.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.61Highest 0.22Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Moscow (22%)Lewiston (21%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in GeneseeFew work in Potlatch
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.5 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.0 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 117Lowest 130Highest
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.

Potlatch neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Potlatch’s Town Square.

Genesee neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Genesee’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Potlatch and Genesee

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Potlatch

Towns like Potlatch

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.

Post to Potlatch

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in