2026 ranking

Best small towns to live in Idaho

The 25 Idaho small towns with the best mix of affordability, safety, schools and jobs, picked from 56 real small towns of 1,000 to 15,000 people — not suburbs.

1
Grace, ID Score 85/100
1,349 people · typical home $190k · household income $73k · 14 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 12% of ID · 2.0% unemployment · 19 mi to a hospital
2
Cottonwood, ID Score 77/100
1,131 people · typical home $235k · household income $79k · 6 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 15% of ID · 8.0% unemployment · 11 mi to a hospital
3
Montpelier, ID Score 74/100
2,694 people · typical home $240k · household income $61k · 26 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 47% of ID · 3.0% unemployment · 4 mi to a hospital
4
Grangeville, ID Score 74/100
3,515 people · typical home $293k · household income $61k · 6 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 42% of ID · 2.0% unemployment · 5 mi to a hospital
5
Soda Springs, ID Score 73/100
3,158 people · typical home $241k · household income $57k · 5 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 48% of ID · 1.0% unemployment · 10 mi to a hospital
6
New Plymouth, ID Score 62/100
1,794 people · typical home $278k · household income $65k · 220 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 22% of ID · 4.0% unemployment · 16 mi to a hospital
7
Sandpoint, ID Score 62/100
9,637 people · typical home $466k · household income $72k · 64 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 30% of ID · 3.0% unemployment · 11 mi to a hospital
8
Malad City, ID Score 61/100
2,601 people · typical home $249k · household income $77k · 252 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 63% of ID · 1.0% unemployment · 8 mi to a hospital
9
Kootenai, ID Score 61/100
1,022 people · typical home $371k · household income $71k · 63 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 30% of ID · 5.0% unemployment · 9 mi to a hospital
10
Burley, ID Score 58/100
11,958 people · typical home $231k · household income $67k · 94 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 79% of ID · 3.0% unemployment · 7 mi to a hospital
11
Osburn, ID Score 58/100
1,620 people · typical home $206k · household income $51k · 283 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 38% of ID · 3.0% unemployment · 4 mi to a hospital
12
Ponderay, ID Score 57/100
1,534 people · typical home $437k · household income $51k · 53 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 30% of ID · 6.0% unemployment · 9 mi to a hospital
13
Sugar City, ID Score 57/100
2,122 people · typical home $350k · household income $67k · 57 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 54% of ID · 3.0% unemployment · 5 mi to a hospital
14
Preston, ID Score 56/100
5,928 people · typical home $350k · household income $61k · 63 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 46% of ID · 3.0% unemployment · 9 mi to a hospital
15
Hagerman, ID Score 55/100
1,276 people · typical home $195k · household income $60k · 257 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 34% of ID · 4.0% unemployment · 24 mi to a hospital
16
Ashton, ID Score 55/100
1,417 people · typical home $221k · household income $65k · 100 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 73% of ID · 5.0% unemployment · 26 mi to a hospital
17
Orofino, ID Score 55/100
3,260 people · typical home $223k · household income $53k · schools in the top 49% of ID · 6.0% unemployment · 5 mi to a hospital
18
Salmon, ID Score 55/100
3,203 people · typical home $236k · household income $43k · 85 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 57% of ID · 3.0% unemployment · 9 mi to a hospital
19
Priest River, ID Score 55/100
1,778 people · typical home $299k · household income $59k · 32 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 62% of ID · 3.0% unemployment · 13 mi to a hospital
20
Ketchum, ID Score 54/100
3,594 people · typical home $824k · household income $93k · 200 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 31% of ID · 0.0% unemployment · 11 mi to a hospital
21
Glenns Ferry, ID Score 54/100
1,438 people · typical home $198k · household income $52k · 187 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 78% of ID · 2.0% unemployment · 33 mi to a hospital
22
Paul, ID Score 53/100
1,586 people · typical home $268k · household income $67k · 206 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 86% of ID · 1.0% unemployment · 12 mi to a hospital
23
Pinehurst, ID Score 53/100
2,120 people · typical home $292k · household income $69k · 283 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 33% of ID · 2.0% unemployment · 7 mi to a hospital
24
Bellevue, ID Score 53/100
2,588 people · typical home $539k · household income $73k · 93 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 29% of ID · 5.0% unemployment · 25 mi to a hospital
25
Sun Valley, ID Score 53/100
1,460 people · typical home $963k · household income $126k · 166 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 31% of ID · 1.0% unemployment · 13 mi to a hospital

How we ranked them

Every small town in Idaho with 1,000–15,000 people that stands on its own (not part of a big metro core, by USDA rural-urban codes) and has solid Census data. Each town is scored against the others in Idaho on: affordability (household income vs. home prices), safety (violent crime, FBI), schools (reading proficiency vs. other Idaho districts), jobs (unemployment, half weight) and everyday access (distance to a hospital and a grocery store, quarter weight each). Missing numbers count as average.

The "best" town is different for everyone — weather, size, politics, things to do and more all matter too.

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