While the university is the dominant employer in Moscow, the city also serves as an agricultural and commercial hub for the Palouse region. The population was 21,291 at the 2000 census, with a 2007 estimate of 23,223.
Moscow is the principal city of the Moscow, Idaho Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Latah County. Moscow is the birthplace of writer Carol Ryrie Brink and singer Josh Ritter.
Along with the rest of northern Idaho, Moscow resides in the Pacific Time Zone. The elevation of its city center is 2579 feet (786 m) above sea level. Highways serving the city are US-95 (north-south) and Highway 8 (east-west), both of which are routed through the Moscow city center.
As of the census of 2000, there were 21,291 people, 7,724 households, and 3,869 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,460.6 people per square mile (1,336.7 per km²). There were 8,029 housing units at an average density of 1,305.0 per square mile (504.1 per km²). The racial makeup of the city was:
Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.47% of the population.
There were 7,724 households out of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.0% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.9% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city the population was spread out with:
The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 109.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,884, and the median income for a family was $46,331. Males had a median income of $35,494 versus $24,560 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,930. About 9.5% of families and 22.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.