The 10 Best Counties To Live In Idaho For 2021


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

Chris Kolmar, About HomeSnacks
December 30, 2020
Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2021. This is our seventh time ranking the best counties to live in Idaho.

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 2021.

Teton 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 2021

1. Teton County

Driggs, ID

Source: Wikipedia User Idahomiller | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Victor

Population: 11,426
Median Income: $74,216 (best)
Median Home Price: $346,600.0 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 558.8% (34th best)
More on Teton County: Photos | Data

2. Ada County

Boise City, ID

Source: Wikipedia User Kencf0618 | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Boise City

Population: 456,849
Median Income: $66,293 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $270,800.0 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 388.1% (2best)
More on Ada County: Photos | Data

3. Franklin County

Preston, ID

Source: Wikipedia User Ken Lund | CC BY-SA 2.0

Biggest Place: Preston

Population: 13,464
Median Income: $57,215 (11th best)
Median Home Price: $211,900.0 (11th best)
Unemployment Rate: 151.5% (2nd best)
More on Franklin County: Photos | Data

4. Valley County

Biggest Place: McCall

Population: 10,709
Median Income: $64,475 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $314,800.0 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 171.0% (3rd best)
More on Valley County: Data

5. Jefferson County

Biggest Place: Rigby

Population: 28,534
Median Income: $63,048 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $203,700.0 (13th best)
Unemployment Rate: 449.5% (26th best)
More on Jefferson County: Data

6. Boise County

Biggest Place: Robie Creek

Population: 7,378
Median Income: $59,646 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $232,300.0 (7th best)
Unemployment Rate: 536.3% (30th best)
More on Boise County: Data

7. Oneida County

Source: Public Domain

Biggest Place: Malad City

Population: 4,385
Median Income: $53,841 (15th best)
Median Home Price: $167,100.0 (23rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 114.6% (best)
More on Oneida County: Data

8. Bonneville County

Ammon, ID

Source: Wikipedia User Sociotard | CC BY 3.0

Biggest Place: Idaho Falls

Population: 114,392
Median Income: $60,615 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $181,200.0 (17th best)
Unemployment Rate: 341.8% (13th best)
More on Bonneville County: Photos | Data

9. Kootenai County

Coeur D

Source: Wikipedia User | CC-BY-SA-3.0

Biggest Place: Coeur d'Alene

Population: 157,322
Median Income: $57,242 (10th best)
Median Home Price: $260,300.0 (5th best)
Unemployment Rate: 412.4% (22nd best)
More on Kootenai County: Photos | Data

10. Caribou County

Soda Springs, ID

Source: Wikipedia User Dschwen | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Soda Springs

Population: 6,953
Median Income: $59,053 (7th best)
Median Home Price: $145,900.0 (39th best)
Unemployment Rate: 383.6% (20th best)
More on Caribou County: Photos | Data

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
Best Places To Retire In Idaho

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 Teton County is the best county, while Lewis County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Idaho.

There You Have It - 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. Owyhee 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
Teton County 1 11,426 $74,216 $346,600.0
Ada County 2 456,849 $66,293 $270,800.0
Franklin County 3 13,464 $57,215 $211,900.0
Valley County 4 10,709 $64,475 $314,800.0
Jefferson County 5 28,534 $63,048 $203,700.0
Boise County 6 7,378 $59,646 $232,300.0
Oneida County 7 4,385 $53,841 $167,100.0
Bonneville County 8 114,392 $60,615 $181,200.0
Kootenai County 9 157,322 $57,242 $260,300.0
Caribou County 10 6,953 $59,053 $145,900.0
Blaine County 11 22,373 $56,694 $428,900.0
Latah County 12 39,505 $49,158 $228,200.0
Nez Perce County 13 40,217 $58,107 $191,500.0
Bear Lake County 14 6,000 $54,167 $149,800.0
Madison County 15 39,100 $39,160 $219,100.0
Bonner County 16 43,611 $50,256 $254,200.0
Camas County 17 1,048 $39,688 $183,300.0
Idaho County 18 16,411 $41,516 $173,200.0
Bingham County 19 45,839 $55,472 $160,100.0
Custer County 20 4,169 $40,875 $191,600.0
Lemhi County 21 7,847 $39,324 $177,000.0
Boundary County 22 11,845 $43,423 $205,000.0
Fremont County 23 13,020 $58,065 $169,900.0
Twin Falls County 24 84,869 $52,919 $166,800.0
Bannock County 25 85,765 $51,734 $160,000.0
Cassia County 26 23,690 $52,935 $162,100.0
Washington County 27 10,057 $40,992 $148,900.0
Adams County 28 4,097 $48,856 $215,500.0
Gem County 29 17,331 $45,492 $168,700.0
Minidoka County 30 20,705 $53,370 $149,600.0
Payette County 31 23,260 $50,579 $165,600.0
Power County 32 7,671 $48,823 $151,300.0
Canyon County 33 217,633 $52,134 $178,300.0
Clearwater County 34 8,673 $43,915 $155,900.0
Gooding County 35 15,148 $47,204 $157,800.0
Jerome County 36 23,730 $52,921 $164,600.0
Elmore County 37 26,743 $46,855 $153,800.0
Lincoln County 38 5,350 $50,053 $145,600.0
Benewah County 39 9,138 $47,556 $167,000.0
Butte County 40 2,581 $42,132 $128,900.0
Clark County 41 913 $46,154 $98,100.0
Shoshone County 42 12,609 $39,386 $127,900.0
Owyhee County 43 11,552 $43,798 $147,800.0
Lewis County 44 3,838 $41,198 $132,300.0
Download The Entire Idaho Ranking Data

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.

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