Cost of living in Idaho

Idaho at a glance

Median rent

$1,238

Census ACS, B25064, monthly

Median household income

$77,800

Census ACS, B19013, yearly

Median home value

$418,600

Census ACS, B25077

Median property tax bill

$2,038

Census ACS, B25103, yearly, current owners

Mean commute

22 min

Census ACS, DP03, one way

Unemployment

3.7%

Census ACS, DP03

Idaho's own published state rows, never an average of its counties. Prices overall run 5% below the national average (BEA regional price parity, 2024).

Census ACS 2024 five-year estimates, checked November 2026.

The three most populous counties in Idaho

These are the most populous places in Idaho, not a match to you. Set what matters to you on Find your fit and this becomes your three closest matches here. Made-up answers work too. This is a tool, not a survey.

• Ada County

  Population

  519K

  Rent

  $1,577

  Household income

  $91,502

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $2,655

  Set as targetPlan

• Canyon County

  Population

  251K

  Rent

  $1,347

  Household income

  $76,488

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $2,011

  Set as targetPlan

• Kootenai County

  Population

  182K

  Rent

  $1,492

  Household income

  $81,861

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $2,267

  Set as targetPlan

Idaho, worth the trip

Admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state. Idaho began as part of the Oregon Country and passed through the Oregon and Washington territories before it became the Idaho Territory in 1863. Boise became the capital in 1864.

• Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve

  A wide field of lava flows with scattered cinder cones and sagebrush.

• City of Rocks National Reserve

  Tall rock spires that California Trail emigrants called the silent city, now visited by rock climbers, hikers and campers.

• Nez Perce National Historical Park

  Sites across the inland Northwest, 38 in all, that matter to the history and culture of the Nez Perce people.

History: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Each place links to the page of the agency that looks after it.

Property tax in Idaho

Current owners in Idaho pay a median 0.49% of home value a year in property tax. Example: $2,038 a year, the median bill. By county, the median bill runs from $995 in Idaho County to $2,778 in Blaine County. These are bills that current owners pay, as the Census measures them. Each county's own figure is in the table below.

Health in Idaho

Life expectancy

78.0 yrs

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS vital statistics

No health insurance

9.8%

County Health Rankings, from Census SAHIE, people under 65

Poor or fair health

15.2%

County Health Rankings, from CDC BRFSS. Modeled, not counted

Injury deaths per 100K people

82

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS, counted deaths

Each is the figure County Health Rankings publishes for Idaho as a whole, never an average of its counties. Each county's own health readings are on its page.

Natural hazards in Idaho

Expected yearly loss, statewide

$736M

All natural hazards, an average year. Larger states lose more

Building loss rate

$1.56

Per $1,000 of building value, each year. Fair to compare between states

Costliest hazard

Inland flooding

$383M of the expected yearly loss, the largest share of any hazard FEMA assesses

Air quality

—

The EPA publishes air quality by county and metro area, never by state. It is on each county's page

FEMA publishes a risk score for counties and none for states, so none is shown here. Each county's score is on its own page.

New homes permitted in Idaho

Side by side

Ada County, ID is the largest county here. Set it beside another place, reading by reading.

The largest counties in Idaho

By population, from the Census release named below. Each opens its own page.

1. 1Ada County519K
2. 2Canyon County251K
3. 3Kootenai County182K
4. 4Bonneville County130K
5. 5Twin Falls County93.7K
6. 6Bannock County89.5K
7. 7Madison County54.6K
8. 8Bonner County51K
9. 9Bingham County49.7K
10. 10Nez Perce County42.7K

All 44 counties in Idaho

Each has its published readings on its own page. Press a column to sort by it. Pick one, or open the map to see them shaded side by side.

Household income, home value and population are on each county's own page, and in this table on a wider screen.

Where these numbers come from

Each reading is the published figure, not an estimate. A dash means the source did not publish one, or published one too uncertain to print.

• State figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 20245-year estimates, the state's own row (tables B25064, B19013, B25077, B25103, B01003, DP03).
• County figures: the same survey, each county's own row, as on every county page.
• Price level: Bureau of Economic Analysis, regional price parities, 2024, all items, state-level.
• Health: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, the state's own row. Poor or fair health is a modeled estimate from CDC survey data. The other three are counted or calculated.
• Natural hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025, state table, expected annual loss. This product uses FEMA data but is not endorsed by FEMA.
• Air quality has no state figure: the EPA publishes it by county and metro area only.
• Photographs: Wikimedia Commons and the county photo feed, each credited to its photographer under its own licence, beneath the picture.

What to do with these numbers

Every number here is public. The site adds your side of it: Idaho next to your own state, by what you value.

• See Idaho beside your own state

  Find your fit puts it next to where you live and the states next door, by what matters to you. Made-up answers are fine, since this is a tool, not a survey. No account needed.

  Find your fit

• Pick a county here and make it your target

  The three counties above each carry Set as target. From there the Journey lays out the runway and the steps. An account keeps it private and yours across devices.

  See the three counties