The 10 Best Counties To Live In Idaho For 2022


Using science and data, we can tell you which counties in Idaho have the most for people looking to make the move to Idaho.

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Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment: is Idaho a good place?

The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best places to live in Idaho.

Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Gem State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been helping people find the best places to live in America for years.

So, the question becomes, if you wanted to relocate to the best part of Idaho, where would you go? To answer that we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 44 counties in the state.

After the analytic dust settled, we identified the 10 best counties to live in Gem State for 2022.

Ada County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Idaho. And you might want to avoid Lewis County if you can — at least according to the data.

So if you’re thinking of making the move Idaho, we’ve got you covered. Keep on reading for a detailed methodology.

Or, check out the best places to live in Idaho and the cheapest places to live in Idaho.

The Best Counties To Live In Idaho For 2022

1. Ada County

Boise City, ID

Biggest Place: Boise City

Population: 469,473
Median Income: $69,952.0 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $298,600.0 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.7% (17th best)
More on Ada County: PhotosData

2. Franklin County

Preston, ID

Biggest Place: Preston

Population: 13,736
Median Income: $59,934.0 (8th best)
Median Home Price: $222,200.0 (13th best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.5% (best)
More on Franklin County: PhotosData

3. Teton County

Driggs, ID

Biggest Place: Victor

Population: 11,776
Median Income: $73,274.0 (best)
Median Home Price: $358,100.0 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.2% (3best)
More on Teton County: PhotosData

4. Jefferson County

Biggest Place: Rigby

Population: 29,238
Median Income: $65,577.0 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $223,900.0 (12th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.4% (14th best)
More on Jefferson County: Data

5. Valley County

Biggest Place: McCall

Population: 11,085
Median Income: $63,115.0 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $306,900.0 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.7% (3rd best)
More on Valley County: Data

6. Blaine County

Bellevue, ID

Biggest Place: Hailey

Population: 22,729
Median Income: $64,627.0 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $458,100.0 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.9% (4th best)
More on Blaine County: PhotosData

7. Oneida County

Source: Public Domain

Biggest Place: Malad City

Population: 4,429
Median Income: $54,484.0 (15th best)
Median Home Price: $182,700.0 (22nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.7% (2nd best)
More on Oneida County: Data

8. Kootenai County

Coeur D'Alene, ID

Biggest Place: Coeur d’Alene

Population: 161,676
Median Income: $60,903.0 (7th best)
Median Home Price: $294,100.0 (5th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.0% (23rd best)
More on Kootenai County: PhotosData

9. Bonneville County

Ammon, ID

Biggest Place: Idaho Falls

Population: 116,970
Median Income: $61,435.0 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $202,100.0 (17th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.9% (2best)
More on Bonneville County: PhotosData

10. Boise County

Biggest Place: Robie Creek

Population: 7,625
Median Income: $51,760.0 (24th best)
Median Home Price: $234,900.0 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.9% (5th best)
More on Boise County: Data

Methodology: How do you determine which Idaho county is the best?

To give you the best county in Idaho, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we need to make some assumptions about what’s a “best county” and what isn’t. And, for reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, don’t take this analysis to court.

With that in mind, we went to two of the best sources of data on the internet; the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent time period.

We paid particular attention to:

  • Violent Crime Rates
  • Property Crime Rates
  • Median Home Values
  • Median Income
  • Unemployment Rates
  • Adult Education Levels
  • Health Insurance Coverage
  • Poverty Rates

We then ranked each county in Idaho across each of the criteria from one to 44, with one being the best.

Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In Idaho”.

The result is some of the safest, quiet, and best counties to raise a family in the Gem State.

Read on to see why Ada County is the best county, while Lewis County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Idaho.

Summary: The Best Counties In Idaho To Call Home For 2018

It turns out living in Idaho can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?

But now you the know the really good parts and the parts to avoid and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day. And for that, you are welcome.

Here’s a look at the worst counties in Idaho according to the data:

  1. Lewis County
  2. Clark County
  3. Shoshone County

For more Idaho reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Idaho

County Rank Population Median Income Median Home Price
Ada County 1 469,473 $69,952.0 $298,600.0
Franklin County 2 13,736 $59,934.0 $222,200.0
Teton County 3 11,776 $73,274.0 $358,100.0
Jefferson County 4 29,238 $65,577.0 $223,900.0
Valley County 5 11,085 $63,115.0 $306,900.0
Blaine County 6 22,729 $64,627.0 $458,100.0
Oneida County 7 4,429 $54,484.0 $182,700.0
Kootenai County 8 161,676 $60,903.0 $294,100.0
Bonneville County 9 116,970 $61,435.0 $202,100.0
Boise County 10 7,625 $51,760.0 $234,900.0
Nez Perce County 11 40,468 $57,099.0 $205,600.0
Latah County 12 40,052 $51,312.0 $245,200.0
Bear Lake County 13 6,054 $52,829.0 $154,500.0
Bonner County 14 44,688 $51,594.0 $275,700.0
Madison County 15 39,725 $44,419.0 $229,800.0
Idaho County 16 16,511 $44,951.0 $197,200.0
Caribou County 17 7,028 $58,099.0 $151,100.0
Lemhi County 18 7,929 $38,819.0 $192,100.0
Bingham County 19 46,246 $58,260.0 $168,200.0
Twin Falls County 20 86,198 $53,363.0 $182,100.0
Cassia County 21 23,847 $52,256.0 $168,400.0
Gem County 22 17,771 $53,720.0 $198,700.0
Canyon County 23 223,890 $56,916.0 $211,600.0
Boundary County 24 12,156 $45,319.0 $235,000.0
Fremont County 25 13,111 $56,825.0 $168,400.0
Bannock County 26 86,742 $51,977.0 $167,300.0
Custer County 27 4,193 $44,757.0 $216,700.0
Payette County 28 23,705 $52,788.0 $183,600.0
Adams County 29 4,200 $50,309.0 $228,500.0
Camas County 30 1,069 $36,908.0 $164,900.0
Power County 31 7,635 $51,014.0 $149,100.0
Elmore County 32 27,043 $45,656.0 $164,400.0
Clearwater County 33 8,735 $42,413.0 $167,700.0
Minidoka County 34 20,817 $53,011.0 $155,600.0
Lincoln County 35 5,342 $52,363.0 $152,500.0
Jerome County 36 24,074 $55,521.0 $178,300.0
Benewah County 37 9,231 $47,983.0 $177,500.0
Butte County 38 2,603 $37,404.0 $146,600.0
Owyhee County 39 11,724 $48,601.0 $160,900.0
Gooding County 40 15,280 $50,057.0 $156,500.0
Washington County 41 10,128 $42,126.0 $163,000.0
Shoshone County 42 12,700 $40,483.0 $133,000.0
Clark County 43 885 $36,429.0 $122,900.0
Lewis County 44 3,850 $42,370.0 $150,000.0
Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the best counties to live 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.