Challis is a city in Custer County, Idaho, home to about 854 people across 2.0 square miles. Its ZIP code is 83226.
Homes sold for a median of $146 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a balanced market.
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Challis. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
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| Nearest major airport | Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field (BOI)120 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Lemhi County Airport (SMN)46 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Portland, OR419 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Los Angeles, CA758 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Challis; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Challis had 902 residents in the 2020 census, down 1% since 2000.
It’s the 114th largest of 232 towns in Idaho by population.
Custer County grew from 2,049 residents in 1900 to 4,275 in 2020.
Custer County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 87°F in summer, and winter lows average 11°F. About 7 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Challis Ap, ID weather station (2 miles away).
862 jobs at 192 businesses in Custer County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
19 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Challis.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Dentists | 1 |
|---|---|
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 10 |
| Mental health providers | 4 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 2 |
| Chiropractors | 2 |
| Pharmacies | 1 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (1 nearby)
Grocery stores
Pharmacies
Counts are within about 1 mile of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Public schools here are run by Challis Joint District. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Challis Elementary SchoolChallis | Pre-K–6 | 173 | Public | 1.9 mi |
| Challis Jr./Sr. High SchoolChallis | 7–12 | 136 | Public | 1.7 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.