The Minidoka Dam was finished on July 1, 1906, giving irrigation water to thousands of acres of desert. In 1909, Rupert was incorporated and had its first election. Rupert is perhaps most well-known for its town square. Rupert has also gone under major community development sponsored by the Rupert Renaissance Committee.

In 1942, by executive order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, approximately 9,400 Japanese-Americans were relocated to the Minidoka Relocation Center in Hunt, Idaho. During that time, Hunt was the ninth largest city in Idaho. President Roosevelt felt that all Japanese-Americans posed a threat to national security, though 60 percent of them were born as American citizens. Ironically, the first person from Idaho to register for the Selective Service at the beginning of the war was a Japanese-American.

Between 1943 and 1959, 7,300 acres were divided into 72 farm units. By lottery, they were given to military veterans in what was the largest homestead project in United States history.

Demographics

Statistics provided below are courtesy of Idaho Commerce & Labor

People
People
Population (2000): 20,174
Per sq. mi.: 26.6

Percent Rural (2000): 57.6
Percent Urban (2000): 42.4

Births (2000-2002): 754
Deaths(2000-2002): 420
Net Migration(2000-2002): -1.075
Percent Migration(2000-2002): -5.3

Birth Rate (2001): 17.8

Median Age (2000): 33.5
Under 18 years (%) (2000): 31.6
18 to 64 years (%) (2000): 55.2
65+ years (%) (2000): 13.2
Persons per Household: (2000): 2.87

Housing
Total Housing Units (2000): 7,498
Mobile Homes, Boats, RV, Van, etc (2000): 944
Overcrowded Units (1.5+ persons per room) (2000): 262
Units Lacking Some or All Plumbing (2000): 56
Total Vacant Units (Including Seasonal & Migratory)(2000): 525

Household Composition (%) (2000):
1 to 2 Persons: 53.1
3 to 5 Persons: 39.4
6+ Persons: 7.5

Owner Occupied Units (2000): 5,364
Renter Occupied Units (2000): 1,609

Median Housing Value (2000): $74,600
Median Rent (2000): $394

Number built 1995 through March 2000: 470
Number built 1990 through 1994: 306
Number built 1980 through 1989: 714
Number built 1970 through 1979: 2,056
Number built 1960 through 1969: 1,030
Number built 1940 through 1959: 1,860
Number built 1939 or Earlier: 1,062

Economy
Total Employment (2000): 11,019

Employment by Type (2000):
Wage & Salary Employment: 8,412
Farm Proprietors: 699
Non-Farm Proprietors: 1,908

Employment by Industry (2000):
Farm: 1,668
Ag. Serv., Forest., Fish. & Other: 731
Manufacturing: 1,848
Mining: (not shown to avoid disclosure of confidential material)
Construction: 457
Transport., Comm., & Pub. Util.'s:740
Wholesale Trade: 961
Retail Trade: 1,103
Finance, Insur., & Real Estate: (not shown to avoid disclosure of confidential material)
Services: 1,598
Federal Civilian: 83
Federal Military: 82
State & Local Government: 1,363

Unemployed (%) (2002): 7.6
Percent Females (16+) in Labor Force (2000): 55.0

Per Capita Personal Income (2001): $17,823
Percent of National Average (2001): 58.6%
Percent of State Average (2001): 72.7%

Total Business Establishments (2001): 375
Total Retail Businesses (2001): 76

Education and Social Indicators
School District: Minidoka County
State Funds: $4,430
Local & State Funds: $5,379
All Funds: $7,911
Bachelor's Degree + (%) (2000): 10.1
High School Graduates + (%) (2000): 73.7

Percent Below Poverty
Families (1979): 10.9
Families (1989): 10.7
Families (1999): 10.1
Persons (1979): 14.4
Persons (1989): 13.3
Persons (1999): 14.8

Average Monthly Fourth Quarter Welfare Roll (2001)
Aid to Aged, Blind & Disabled: 145
Aid to Families with Dependent Children: NA
Temporary Assistance for Families: 22
Food Stamp Cases: 377
Medicaid Cases: 2,165

Other Social Indicators-County (2000)
Suicide Rate Per 100,000: 5.0
Marriage Rate Per 1,000: 7.2
Divorce Rate Per 1,000: 4.1

Crime- Rate Per 100,000
1980: 3,423
1990: 2,644
2001: 1,976

Crime- Number of Offenses
1980 1990 2001
Murder 1 1 0
Rape 1 8 7
Robbery 3 2 2
Aggravated Assault 40 31 21
Burglary 174 141 67
Larceny 421 292 292
Motor Vehicle Theft 32 34 15
Arson 3 3 3

Health Care (2001)
Physicians per 100,000: 71
Number of Hospitals: 1
Total of Hospital Beds: 25

Natural Resources
Federal Land (Acres): 147,649
BLM: 165,480
Nat'l Forests: 0
Other: 9,169
State Land: 7,720
Endowment Land: 7,661
Fish & Game: 59
Parks & Recreation: 0
Private Land: 300,441
County Land: 3,285
Municipal Land: 113
Total: 486,208

Land Use
Acres %Total
Urban Lad 1,900 0.4
Agricultural 229,300 47.5
Rangeland 168,300 34.9
Forest 0 0.0
Water 2,500 0.5
Wetland 0 0.0
Barren Land 80,600 16.7
Tundra 0 0.0
Perennial Snow 0 0.0
Total: 482,600

Agriculture
Inventory: Farms, Cropland, & Livestock (1997)
Total Number, All Farms: 674
Total Acres in Farms: 206,882
Avg. Farm Size (acres): 307
Total Farms in Crops: 576
Total Acres in Crops: Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual farms.
Cattle and Calves Inventory: 33,817
Number of Irrigated Farms: 589
Number of irrigated Acres: 180,791

Farms by Size (Acres) (1997)
Under 10: 129
10 to 49: 157
50 to 179: 135
180 to 499: 130
500 to 999: 79
1,000 & Over: 44

Value of Land & Buildings & Products (1997)
Avg. Value of Land and Buildings Per Farm: $537,948
Avg. Value of Land and Buildings Per Acre: $1,856
Avg. Value Per Farm of Products Sold: $225,836

Principal Occupation of Farm Operators (1997)
Farming: 436
Other: 238

Miscellaneous
Motor Vehicles Registered (2001)
Cars and Pickups: 16,633
Other: 3,882
Total Vehicles per Capita: 1.04

Idaho Drivers Licenses in Force (2001): 12,550

Top Place of Work Destinations for Workers in County (2000)
Cassia County: 2,483
Minidoka County: 5,483
Twin Falls County: 207
Jerome County: 117
Power County: 35
Gooding County: 44
Total County Workers: 8,657

City 1970 1980 1990 2000
Acequia 107 100 106 144
Burley 200 236 282 242
Heyburn 1,637 2,889 2,714 2,899
Minidoka 131 101 67 129
Paul 911 940 901 998
Rupert 4,563 5,476 5,455 5,645