John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
Among all government transfer programs, Social Security was the largest contributor. Medicare was the second largest, totaling $4.48 billion, equating to $2,308 per capita and making up 22.7% of total transfers.
Medicaid was the third largest contributor in Idaho in 2022, accounting for $3.46 billion, averaging $1,787 per capita, and represented 17.5% of transfers in the state. Income Maintenance transfers provided another $2.27 billion, averaging $1,172 per capita and comprising 11.5% of government support, making them the smallest contributors.
Statewide, including all transfer types, government transfer payments totaled $19.75 billion, and accounted for 18% of residents’ total income, with an average of $10,187 per resident.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
With 16.9% of the population aged 65 and older, Idaho has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. The total per capita income in Idaho, excluding government transfers was $46,426.8, which is noticeably below the county's total income of $56,614, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Idaho saw an increase in its Social Security transfer dependency by 0.3%, reflecting both rising transfer amounts and stagnating or insufficient other sources of income.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans' income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In Idaho, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 8% (or $1,742 per capita) in 1970 to 18% (or $10,187 per capita) in 2022, reflecting broader national trends.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ada County | 1 | 13.6% | 16.2% | 5.2% | 2.9% | 2.2% | 1.4% | $9,155 |
| Canyon County | 2 | 21.5% | 14.5% | 6.9% | 4.4% | 4.7% | 3% | $9,757 |
| Kootenai County | 3 | 18.9% | 19.9% | 7.5% | 4.8% | 2.5% | 1.7% | $11,409 |
| Bonneville County | 4 | 15.6% | 13.8% | 4.9% | 3.5% | 3.5% | 2.1% | $9,841 |
| Bannock County | 5 | 24.4% | 15.3% | 7.1% | 5.4% | 5.2% | 2.9% | $11,567 |
| Twin Falls County | 6 | 21.5% | 16.6% | 7.2% | 4.8% | 4.5% | 2.8% | $10,519 |
| Bonner County | 7 | 23.1% | 26.2% | 10% | 5.4% | 2.7% | 2.1% | $12,012 |
| Nez Perce County | 8 | 23.2% | 21.1% | 8.9% | 5.8% | 3.6% | 2.1% | $12,605 |
| Bingham County | 9 | 21.9% | 15.2% | 7% | 5.3% | 4.4% | 3.1% | $10,256 |
| Latah County | 10 | 17.2% | 14.9% | 6.5% | 4% | 2.5% | 1.8% | $9,028 |
| Madison County | 11 | 21.8% | 5.6% | 4.3% | 3% | 3.7% | 3.4% | $6,059 |
| Elmore County | 12 | 24.5% | 14.9% | 7% | 4.3% | 4.1% | 3.2% | $10,611 |
| Payette County | 13 | 23.4% | 19.5% | 8.6% | 5.6% | 4% | 2.9% | $11,375 |
| Jefferson County | 14 | 17.3% | 12.4% | 5.9% | 3.6% | 2.9% | 2.7% | $7,854 |
| Gem County | 15 | 27.4% | 22.9% | 10.2% | 6.5% | 5.2% | 2.6% | $12,846 |
| Blaine County | 16 | 5.9% | 22.7% | 2.7% | 1.7% | 0.5% | 0.5% | $9,846 |
| Cassia County | 17 | 17.4% | 14.5% | 5.6% | 3.9% | 3.8% | 2.6% | $9,491 |
| Idaho County | 18 | 29.4% | 28.9% | 12.1% | 7.1% | 3.8% | 2.6% | $13,047 |
| Jerome County | 19 | 19.1% | 13.5% | 6% | 4.3% | 4% | 3.1% | $8,698 |
| Minidoka County | 20 | 19.8% | 16% | 6.7% | 4.3% | 4.1% | 3% | $9,498 |
| Shoshone County | 21 | 31.9% | 23.4% | 11.9% | 7.9% | 6% | 3.1% | $14,430 |
| Gooding County | 22 | 15.7% | 18.7% | 4.9% | 3.9% | 3.6% | 2% | $11,453 |
| Boundary County | 23 | 28.6% | 23.1% | 10.8% | 6.7% | 4% | 2.9% | $12,998 |
| Washington County | 24 | 31.6% | 25.7% | 12% | 8.1% | 4.6% | 3.4% | $13,714 |
| Valley County | 25 | 18% | 27.2% | 8% | 5.2% | 1.5% | 1.3% | $11,643 |
| Fremont (includes Yellowstone Park) County | 26 | 22.1% | 17.9% | 7.8% | 4.7% | 4% | 2.9% | $10,277 |
| Clearwater County | 27 | 35.8% | 29% | 14.1% | 9.6% | 5% | 2.7% | $15,567 |
| Benewah County | 28 | 31% | 23.4% | 12% | 8% | 4.4% | 3.1% | $13,500 |
| Franklin County | 29 | 20.3% | 14.6% | 7.1% | 5% | 3.3% | 2.8% | $8,997 |
| Lemhi County | 30 | 30.5% | 31.5% | 11.4% | 8.1% | 4.7% | 2.3% | $16,460 |
| Owyhee County | 31 | 21.1% | 18.6% | 7.3% | 4.1% | 4.7% | 3.1% | $10,160 |
| Boise County | 32 | 22.9% | 28.5% | 11% | 4.6% | 2.4% | 1.9% | $12,264 |
| Teton County | 33 | 11.9% | 14.1% | 4.2% | 3% | 1.6% | 1.4% | $7,372 |
| Lewis County | 34 | 39.2% | 28.3% | 12.3% | 11.7% | 7% | 3.6% | $23,712 |
| Bear Lake County | 35 | 25.4% | 21% | 8.9% | 6.4% | 4.6% | 2.5% | $12,303 |
| Power County | 36 | 20.5% | 16.8% | 6.9% | 4.5% | 4.1% | 3.2% | $9,782 |
| Caribou County | 37 | 22.2% | 18.2% | 8.4% | 6.1% | 3.2% | 2.3% | $10,742 |
| Custer County | 38 | 27.1% | 30.8% | 11.6% | 7.1% | 2.9% | 2.2% | $13,931 |
| Lincoln County | 39 | 22.4% | 15.1% | 5.8% | 7.8% | 4.1% | 2.7% | $11,553 |
| Adams County | 40 | 28.8% | 31.3% | 12.9% | 7.1% | 2.3% | 2.5% | $12,587 |
| Oneida County | 41 | 25.6% | 20.4% | 8.9% | 7.9% | 3.9% | 2.7% | $11,965 |
| Butte County | 42 | 25.5% | 25.6% | 9.4% | 7.5% | 3.4% | 2.7% | $13,668 |
| Camas County | 43 | 16.1% | 24.6% | 7.2% | 4% | 1.5% | 1.7% | $9,957 |
| Clark County | 44 | 16.2% | 20.6% | 5.5% | 4% | 2.2% | 2.8% | $7,653 |
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