There are two stories on how Cassia County got its name. One says it was named after a French explorer named DeCassia. The other says it was named after the Cassia plant that grows along the banks of the Snake River.
In 1905, David E. Burley, a Union Pacific Railroad passenger agent, conceived an idea of building a city along the Snake River where the railroad passed. Since Mr. Burley's work necessitated travel throughout the Midwestern United States, he influenced many farmers to migrate to this area.

Mr. Burley, along with. B. Perrine, established the town "Commerce." Its name was later changed to Burley where the county seat was subsequently moved in 1919 by public vote.

In the spring of 1984, because of the harsh winter and the early thaw, the Oakley Dam nearly burst. Had that taken place, it would have flooded the Oakley Valley all the way to the Snake River. The dry beds of Goose Creek, wherein lies Burley, also would have been flooded. However, it was avoided by the persistence of residents building a 30 mile canal to the Snake River in just a matter of days.

Demographics

Statistics provided below are courtesy of Idaho Commerce & Labor

People
Population (2002): 21,720
Per sq. mi.: 8.5

Percent Rural (2000): 56.1
Percent Urban (2000): 43.9

Births (2000-2002): 1,009
Deaths(2000-2002): 390
Net Migration(2000-2002): -312
Percent Migration(2000-2002): -1.5

Birth Rate (2001): 17.9

Median Age (2000): 31.1
Under 18 years (%) (2000): 34.1
18 to 64 years (%) (2000): 53.1
65+ years (%) (2000): 12.7
Persons per Household: (2000): 2.99

Housing
Total Housing Units (2000): 7,862
Mobile Homes, Boats, RV, Van, etc (2000): 1,335
Overcrowded Units (1.5+ persons per room) (2000): 200
Units Lacking Some or All Plumbing (2000): 43
Total Vacant Units (Including Seasonal & Migratory)(2000): 802

Household Composition (%) (2000):
1 to 2 Persons: 50.8
3 to 5 Persons: 39.7
6+ Persons: 9.5

Owner Occupied Units (2000): 5,129
Renter Occupied Units (2000): 1,931

Median Housing Value (2000): $83,100
Median Rent (2000): $403

Number built 1995 through March 2000: 714
Number built 1990 through 1994: 312
Number built 1980 through 1989: 846
Number built 1970 through 1979: 1,905
Number built 1960 through 1969: 1,074
Number Built 1940 through 1959: 1,651
Number built 1939 or Earlier: 1,360

Economy
Total Employment (2000): 13,059

Employment by Type (2000):
Wage & Salary Employment: 9,680
Farm Proprietors: 891
Non-Farm Proprietors: 2,488

Employment by Industry (2000):
Farm: 1,879
Ag. Serv., Forest., Fish. & Other: 610
Manufacturing: 1,286
Mining: 127
Construction: 642
Transport., Comm., & Pub. Util.'s:660
Wholesale Trade: 514
Retail Trade: 2,239
Finance, Insur., & Real Estate: 733
Services: 2,659
Federal Civilian: 179
Federal Military: 87
State & Local Government: 1,444

Unemployed (%) (2002): 6.4
Percent Females (16+) in Labor Force (2000): 52.6

Per Capita Personal Income (2001): $22,121
Percent of National Average (2001): 72.7%
Percent of State Average (2001): 90.3%

Total Business Establishments (2001): 595
Total Retail Businesses (2001): 115

Education and Social Indicators
School District: Cassia County Joint
State Funds: $4,317
Local & State Funds: $5,229
All Funds: $6,580
Bachelor's Degree + (%) (2000): 13.9
High School Graduates + (%) (2000): 76.9

Percent Below Poverty
Families (1979): 11.9
Families (1989): 12.0
Families (1999): 7.0
Persons (1979): 14.6
Persons (1989): 14.5
Persons (1999): 13.6

Average Monthly Fourth Quarter Welfare Roll (2001)
Aid to Aged, Blind & Disabled: 184
Aid to Families with Dependent Children: NA
Temporary Assistance for Families: 35
Food Stamp Cases: 505
Medicaid Cases: 2,034

Other Social Indicators-County (2001)
Suicide Rate Per 100,000: 4.7
Marriage Rate Per 1,000: 4.7
Divorce Rate Per 1,000: 4.7
Crime- Rate Per 100,000
1980: 6.053
1990: 4,843
2001: 3,037

Crime- Number of Offenses
1980 1990 2001
Murder 4 1 0
Rape 8 2 5
Robbery 11 2 5
Aggravated Assault 105 60 42
Burglary 228 166 112
Larceny 741 658 462
Motor Vehicle Theft 72 45 31
Arson 7 12 7

Health Care (2001)
Physicians per 100,000: 134
Number of Hospitals: 1
Total of Hospital Beds: 40

Natural Resources
Federal Land (Acres): 925,150
BLM: 516,060
Nat'l Forests: 387.0530
Other: 22,037
State Land: 51,670
Endowment Land: 50,129
Fish & Game: 901
Parks & Recreation: 640
Private Land: 663,408
County Land: 1,800
Municipal Land: 596
Total: 1,642,624

Land Use
Acres %Total
Urban Lad 7,100 0.4
Agricultural 453,300 27.7
Rangeland 1,113,000 67.9
Forest 46,400 2.8
Water 10,200 0.6
Wetland 0 0.0
Barren Land 8,400 .5
Tundra 0 0.0
Perennial Snow 0 0.0
Total: 1,638,400

Agriculture
Inventory: Farms, Cropland, & Livestock (1997)
Total Number, All Farms: 729
Total Acres in Farms: 656,658
Avg. Farm Size (acres): 901
Total Farms in Crops: 619
Total Acres in Crops: 378,150
Cattle and Calves Inventory: 138,686
Number of Irrigated Farms: 607
Number of Irrigated Acres: 266,095

Farms by Size (Acres) (1997)
Under 10: 95
10 to 49: 128
50 to 179: 129
180 to 499: 115
500 to 999: 98
1,000 & Over: 164

Value of Land & Buildings & Products (1997)
Avg. Value of Land and Buildings Per Farm: $917,627
Avg. Value of Land and Buildings Per Acre: $932
Avg. Value Per Farm of Products Sold: $456,541

Principal Occupation of Farm Operators (1997)
Farming: 488
Other: 241

Miscellaneous
Motor Vehicles Registered (2001)
Cars and Pickups: 16,241
Other: 4,095
Total Vehicles per Capita: 0.74

Idaho Drivers Licenses in Force
(2001): 15,316

Top Place of Work Destinations for Workers in County (2000)
Cassia County: 6,491
Minidoka County: 1,754
Twin Falls County: 276
Jerome County: 46
Power County: 46
Ada County: 44
Total County Workers: 8,841

City Population Trends
City 1970 1980 1990 2000
Albion 229 286 305 262
Burley 8,079 8,525 8,420 9,074
Declo 251 276 279 338
Malta 196 196 171 177
Oakley 656 663 635 668