Most socially connected counties in Idaho
Photo Illustration by Stacker // Canva
Most socially connected counties in Idaho
In today’s digital age, social media platforms enable people to bridge geographic distances and connect with their friends, family, and community, no matter where they are. According to a 2022 Gallup and Meta study, at least 1 in 3 people across seven countries, including the U.S., said they used social media to interact with others at least once a day in the past week.
While social media has its drawbacks—such as pulling attention away from other tasks or fostering a problematic comparison culture—it remains a vital tool for helping people stay connected.
A majority of students in grades 3 to 12 said social media helped them develop relationships, learn social skills, and make a positive impact in their community, according to a 2024 report from The Social Institute.
Spokeo compiled a ranking of the most socially connected counties in Idaho using 2021 data from Facebook, based on a national analysis. County pairs were ranked by their social connectedness index, which measures the relative probability that two individuals across two locations are friends with each other on Facebook. The social connectedness index is a scaled value up to a billion. Larger indexes indicate a greater share of Facebook friends between county pairs.
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#17. Elmore County and Ada County
– Elmore County population: 29,724
– Ada County population: 524,673
– Social connectedness index: 305,374
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#16. Latah County and Clearwater County
– Latah County population: 41,301
– Clearwater County population: 9,214
– Social connectedness index: 1,411,801
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#15. Canyon County and Owyhee County
– Canyon County population: 257,674
– Owyhee County population: 12,722
– Social connectedness index: 1,586,726
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#14. Shoshone County and Benewah County
– Shoshone County population: 14,026
– Benewah County population: 10,369
– Social connectedness index: 1,838,897
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#13. Bonneville County and Bingham County
– Bonneville County population: 131,366
– Bingham County population: 50,395
– Social connectedness index: 1,867,226
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#12. Gem County and Boise County
– Gem County population: 21,071
– Boise County population: 8,517
– Social connectedness index: 2,109,403
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#11. Power County and Bannock County
– Power County population: 8,253
– Bannock County population: 90,400
– Social connectedness index: 3,364,150
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#10. Twin Falls County and Jerome County
– Twin Falls County population: 95,156
– Jerome County population: 25,479
– Social connectedness index: 3,711,554
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#9. Fremont County and Madison County
– Fremont County population: 14,196
– Madison County population: 54,547
– Social connectedness index: 4,126,054
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#8. Caribou County and Franklin County
– Caribou County population: 7,219
– Franklin County population: 15,494
– Social connectedness index: 4,433,237
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#7. Camas County and Blaine County
– Camas County population: 1,232
– Blaine County population: 25,041
– Social connectedness index: 5,087,869
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#6. Lincoln County and Gooding County
– Lincoln County population: 5,450
– Gooding County population: 16,061
– Social connectedness index: 5,400,964
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#5. Adams County and Valley County
– Adams County population: 4,903
– Valley County population: 12,644
– Social connectedness index: 6,740,371
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#4. Jefferson County and Clark County
– Jefferson County population: 34,198
– Clark County population: 801
– Social connectedness index: 8,299,733
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#3. Minidoka County and Cassia County
– Minidoka County population: 22,480
– Cassia County population: 25,696
– Social connectedness index: 11,533,228
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#2. Lewis County and Idaho County
– Lewis County population: 3,739
– Idaho County population: 17,890
– Social connectedness index: 11,984,680
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#1. Custer County and Butte County
– Custer County population: 4,523
– Butte County population: 2,758
– Social connectedness index: 15,030,589
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Kayla Zhu, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 46 states.
This story originally appeared on Spokeo and was produced and
distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
