The 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Idaho For 2022


We used science and data to determine which cities in Idaho have the best set up for children: a lot to do, good schools, and no crime.

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If you're looking for safe cities and neighborhoods, amazing schools, large green spaces, good food, and just overall good family friendly fun, you can stop your search: Idaho is one of the most family friendly states in the USA.

Heck, there's a reason Idaho is one of the best states to raise a family in the country. There are great family friendly Idaho places around every corner in The Gem State. And, HomeSnacks is here to give you the ultimate guide: we've broken down the best places to raise a family in Idaho for 2022, and the top ten list is below.

It is a known fact that many families visit idaho on vacation and end up staying. This is because the state has Blue Ribbon elementary schools, gold star high schools, cutting edge universities, good jobs with competitive salaries, and tons of staycation possibilities for families on a budget. And speaking of budgets, there are family friendly places for all types of budgets. There are places like Blackfoot for the family that loves spending time outside, places like Moscow for families just starting out, and places like Hailey for families who don't have to worry about being on a budget.

In all family fun seriousness, you can have the family skiing on the slopes in Sun Valley and at the Discovery Center of Idaho in Boise

The 10 Best Cities To Raise A Family In Idaho For 2022

  1. Moscow
  2. Middleton
  3. Rupert
  4. Rexburg
  5. Hailey
  6. Emmett
  7. Preston
  8. Sandpoint
  9. Blackfoot
  10. Meridian

How did we determine Idaho's most family friendly places? We consulted the US Census on places in the Gem State with more than 5,000 residents. We looked at several factors: crime, education, family friendly activities, and the percent of households that currently have children. We ended up with 21 family friendly Idaho places that any family would be lucky to call home.

But, there can only be one number one best place to raise your family in Idaho, and that would be Moscow.

To see how your favorite place in Idaho compared, take a look at the list below; and if you don't see it there, head to the bottom.

Check out some more reading about Idaho and the best places for families in the country:

The 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Idaho For 2022

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 25,652
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 66
Closest Major City: Spokane
Households with kids: 18.9%
More on Moscow: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Moscow, ID

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 8,005
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 32
Closest Major City: Boise City
Households with kids: 45.6%
More on Middleton: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Middleton, ID

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 5,820
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 41
Closest Major City: Boise City
Households with kids: 45.0%
More on Rupert: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Rupert, ID

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 29,064
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 60
Closest Major City: Salt Lake City
Households with kids: 33.7%
More on Rexburg: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Rexburg, ID

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 8,575
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 34
Closest Major City: Boise City
Households with kids: 40.9%
More on Hailey: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Hailey, ID

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 6,942
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 58
Closest Major City: Boise City
Households with kids: 34.7%
More on Emmett: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Emmett, ID

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 5,477
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 33
Closest Major City: Salt Lake City
Households with kids: 40.5%
More on Preston: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Preston, ID

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 8,692
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 55
Closest Major City: Spokane
Households with kids: 27.8%
More on Sandpoint: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Sandpoint, ID

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 11,936
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 42
Closest Major City: Salt Lake City
Households with kids: 41.4%
More on Blackfoot: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Blackfoot, ID

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 107,787
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 51
Closest Major City: Boise City
Households with kids: 36.7%
More on Meridian: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Meridian, ID

Source: Public domain

Methodology: How do you determine which place is best for families in Idaho anyways?

To give you the places in Idaho which are best for families, we have to look at a handful of metrics. Of course, we want to measure the type of people who live in each city, and make some assumptions about what's family-friendly and what isn't.

So we researched the internet for a database that contains all that information.

How we crunched the family friendly numbers for the Gem State

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of Idaho, we looked at every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:

  • Crime (Both violent and property)
  • Quality of local schools
  • Distance to a major city without necessarily being in it
  • % of households with children
  • Family-friendly amenities nearby (museums, libraries and colleges)

We then gave each city a Family Score.

The higher the score, the better the city is for families. We also limited our results to cities with populations over 5,000 people. For Idaho, that meant a total of 21 cities. You can download the data here.

Summary: The Best Places To Raise A Family In Idaho

If you're looking for a breakdown of cities in Idaho ranked by criteria that most would agree make a place a great spot for families, this is an accurate list.

Here's a look at the best cities for singles Idaho according to the data:

  1. Chubbuck
  2. Pocatello
  3. Coeur d'Alene

For more Idaho reading, check out:

Where Are The Best Places For Families In Idaho?

Rank City Population Amenities Score
1 Moscow, ID 25,652 73
2 Middleton, ID 8,005 58
3 Rupert, ID 5,820 45
4 Rexburg, ID 29,064 64
5 Hailey, ID 8,575 40
6 Emmett, ID 6,942 43
7 Preston, ID 5,477 53
8 Sandpoint, ID 8,692 44
9 Blackfoot, ID 11,936 56
10 Meridian, ID 107,787 36

How Is The Area In ?

Editor's Note: We updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the best cities for families in Idaho.

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.