This article, the twenty-first in a 50-state series, ranks the best places to live in Idaho based on three criteria: (1) median household income (adjusted for cost of living); (2) educational attainment (% of residents 25 years and over who have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher); and (3) property crime rates per 1,000 residents (burglary and automobile thefts). For purposes of these rankings, “places” are incorporated municipalities with populations greater than 2,000
Among the twenty best places to live in Idaho, six are either resort towns or their surrounding communities, three are major cities, four are suburbs of Idaho Falls, two are suburbs of Boise, two are suburbs of Spokane, Washington, one is a suburb of Pocatello, one is a university town, and one is a county seat. By county, four of the best places to live in Idaho are located in Ada County, four in Blaine County, three in Bonneville County, two in Kootenai County, two in Madison County, and one each in Bannock, Caribou, Latah, Teton, and Valley Counties.
After reading “Best Places to Live in Idaho (2011),” return to this link to read “Largest Cities in Idaho (2011).” A collection of similar articles for the remaining 49 states can be found at these links: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
For the culmination of the 50-state series, read “Best Places to Live in America (2011).”
1. Best Places to Live in Idaho (2011) – Eagle, ID (Ada County)
Population: 18,848
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $93,486
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 47.0%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.02*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Boise, ID: 10 miles SE
Nampa, ID: 21 miles SW
Meridian, ID: 8 miles SSW
2. Best Places to Live in Idaho (2011) – Sun Valley, ID (Blaine County)
Population: 1,321
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $50,266
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 57.5%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.04
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Boise, ID: 155 miles W
Idaho Falls, ID: 160 miles E
3. Best Places to Live in Idaho (2011) – Ketchum, ID (Blaine County)
Population: 3,261
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $49,591
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 50.9%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 4.24
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Boise, ID: 153 miles W
Idaho Falls, ID: 158 miles E
4. Best Places to Live in Idaho (2011) – Sugar City, ID (Madison County)
Population: 1,195
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $63,284
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 31.4%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 0.29*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Boise, ID: 288 miles W
Idaho Falls, ID: 34 miles SSW
Pocatello, ID: 82 miles SSW
Jackson Hole, WY: 75 miles SE
5. Best Places to Live in Idaho (2011) – Star, ID (Ada County)
Population: 4,332
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $71,208
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 26.5%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.02*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Boise, ID: 18 miles SE
Nampa, ID: 14 miles SSW
Meridian, ID: 11 miles SE
6. Best Places to Live in Idaho (2011) – Meridian, ID (Ada County)
Population: 62,421
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $69,743
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 32.8%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.45
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Boise, ID: 11 miles E
Nampa, ID: 13 miles SW
7. Best Places to Live in Idaho (2011) – Ammon, ID (Bonneville County)
Population: 12,635
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $64,308
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 26.5%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.58*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Boise, ID: 262 miles W
Idaho Falls, ID: 4 miles W
Pocatello, ID: 54 miles SSW
Jackson Hole, WY: 89 miles E
8. Best Places to Live in Idaho (2011) – Moscow, ID (Latah County)
Population: 24,169
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $30,782
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 53.5%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.94
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Boise, ID: 298 miles S
9. Best Places to Live in Idaho (2011) – Hailey, ID (Blaine County)
Population: 7,854
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $53,660
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 33.3%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.96
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Boise, ID: 142 miles W
Idaho Falls, ID: 146 miles E
10. Best Places to Live in Idaho (2011) – Iona, ID (Bonneville County)
Population: 1,199
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $63,045
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 24.6%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.58*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Boise, ID: 263 miles W
Idaho Falls, ID: 8 miles SW
Pocatello, ID: 58 miles SSW
Jackson Hole, WY: 85 miles E
11. Best Places to Live in Idaho (2011) – Rexburg, ID (Madison County)
Population: 27,630
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $36,142
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 35.7%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.03
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Boise, ID: 283 miles W
Idaho Falls, ID: 29 miles SSW
Pocatello, ID: 80 miles SSW
Jackson Hole, WY: 79 miles SE
12. Best Places to Live in Idaho (2011) – Victor, ID (Teton County)
Population: 1,395
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $63,185
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 25.9%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.44*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Boise, ID: 321 miles W
Idaho Falls, ID: 66 miles WSW
Pocatello, ID: 116 miles SW
Jackson Hole, WY: 25 miles ESE
13. Best Places to Live in Idaho (2011) – Boise, ID (Ada County)
Population: 202,703
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $54,738
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 36.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.91
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Nampa, ID: 22 miles WSW
Meridian, ID: 11 miles W
14. Best Places to Live in Idaho (2011) – Dalton Gardens, ID (Kootenai County)
Population: 2,367
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $55,570
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 27.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.33*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Boise, ID: 382 miles S
Spokane, WA: 35 miles WSW
15. Best Places to Live in Idaho (2011) – McCall, ID (Valley County)
Population: 2,522
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $62,170
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 36.5%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 9.04
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Boise, ID: 107 miles S
Nampa, ID: 121 miles SSW
Meridian, ID: 107 miles SSW
16. Best Places to Live in Idaho (2011) – Bellevue, ID (Blaine County)
Population: 1,811
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $62,736
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 25.8%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 7.27
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Boise, ID: 136 miles WNW
Idaho Falls, ID: 142 miles E
17. Best Places to Live in Idaho (2011) – Hayden, ID (Kootenai County)
Population: 12,599
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $47,101
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 24.0%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.33*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Boise, ID: 384 miles S
Spokane, WA: 37 miles WSW
18. Best Places to Live in Idaho (2011) – Chubbuck, ID (Bannock County)
Population: 11,622
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $52,038
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 20.7%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.31
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Boise, ID: 233 miles WNW
Idaho Falls, ID: 47 miles NNE
Pocatello, ID: 4 miles S
19. Best Places to Live in Idaho (2011) – Idaho Falls, ID (Bonneville County)
Population: 53,403
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $50,628
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 27.5%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 6.6
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Boise, ID: 259 miles W
Pocatello, ID: 50 miles SSW
Jackson Hole, WY: 91 miles E
20. Best Places to Live in Idaho (2011) – Soda Springs, ID (Caribou County)
Population: 3,123
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $52,209
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 16.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.3
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Boise, ID: 292 miles WNW
Idaho Falls, ID: 80 miles NNW
Pocatello, ID: 57 miles WNW
Jackson Hole, WY: 109 miles SSW
*In some cases, municipalities either do not report their crime statistics to the FBI or they contract for services with a county law enforcement agency. For those towns, crime rates are extrapolated from county or contiguous municipality data.
The sources used in support of this article include the latest 1, 3, and 5-year estimates from the U.S. Census and the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report.
More Articles from J.C. Grant
“Average ACT Scores by State (2010)”
“Average SAT Scores by State (2010)”
“Largest U.S. Cities: Population Size and Demographics”
Most Dangerous Cities in America – Murder Rates
State Education Rankings: Graduation Rates for High School, College, and Grad/Professional School
“State Education Rankings: SAT Scores”
Source(s):
“All Cities in Idaho,” City-Data.com
“2009 ACS 1-year Estimates,” U.S. Census Bureau
“2007-2009 ACS 3-year Estimates,” U.S. Census Bureau
“2006-2008 ACS 3-year Estimates,” U.S. Census Bureau
“2005-2009 ACS 5-Year Estimates,” U.S. Census Bureau
Uniform Crime Report,” Federal Bureau of Investigation
