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 counties 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 using Saturday Night Science to rank places for years.
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.
Ada County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Idaho. And you should avoid Gooding County if you can — at least according to the data.
$91,502 median income · 3.1% unemployment
$92,566 median income · 2.1% unemployment
$99,805 median income · 1.2% unemployment
$86,679 median income · 2.7% unemployment
$71,950 median income · 2.4% unemployment
$81,861 median income · 3.3% unemployment
$78,774 median income · 3.4% unemployment
$75,260 median income · 2.6% unemployment
$74,954 median income · 1.4% unemployment
$79,068 median income · 4.6% unemployment
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Idaho’s statewide median.
Idaho statewide median: $77,800
Idaho statewide median: $473,335
Idaho statewide median: 3.7%
On the map
Where Idaho’s best counties are
Saturday Night Science
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 made assumptions about what’s in a “best county” and what isn’t. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best data sources on the internet. Namely, the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent 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, quietest, and best counties to raise a family in the Gem State.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best counties to live in Idaho.
Read on to see why Ada County is the best county, while Gooding County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Idaho.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Idaho
Click any column to sort. Search by county name.
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ada County | 518,935 | $91,502 | $521,625 |
| 2 | Blaine County | 24,951 | $92,566 | $1,084,018 |
| 3 | Teton County | 12,425 | $99,805 | $864,221 |
| 4 | Jefferson County | 33,154 | $86,679 | $465,392 |
| 5 | Franklin County | 15,056 | $71,950 | $438,371 |
| 6 | Kootenai County | 181,996 | $81,861 | $596,723 |
| 7 | Boise County | 8,273 | $78,774 | $477,627 |
| 7 | Bear Lake County | 6,650 | $75,260 | $386,602 |
| 9 | Oneida County | 4,768 | $74,954 | $336,708 |
| 10 | Bonneville County | 129,523 | $79,068 | $400,910 |
| 11 | Nez Perce County | 42,697 | $72,599 | $384,386 |
| 12 | Caribou County | 7,162 | $68,782 | $330,406 |
| 13 | Valley County | 12,389 | $76,078 | $675,255 |
| 14 | Fremont County | 13,943 | $72,683 | $471,061 |
| 15 | Payette County | 26,771 | $67,673 | $411,024 |
| 16 | Bonner County | 51,049 | $66,979 | $648,285 |
| 16 | Camas County | 1,124 | $57,955 | $394,863 |
| 18 | Lemhi County | 8,249 | $53,202 | $376,605 |
| 19 | Gem County | 20,614 | $64,605 | $474,995 |
| 20 | Bannock County | 89,454 | $66,499 | $352,606 |
| 21 | Custer County | 4,470 | $67,574 | $384,183 |
| 22 | Canyon County | 250,790 | $76,488 | $414,203 |
| 23 | Twin Falls County | 93,734 | $67,409 | $377,542 |
| 23 | Latah County | 41,049 | $65,424 | $464,968 |
| 25 | Bingham County | 49,664 | $77,878 | $381,816 |
| 26 | Madison County | 54,618 | $60,160 | $411,979 |
| 27 | Idaho County | 17,432 | $66,325 | $353,958 |
| 28 | Boundary County | 13,172 | $67,237 | $459,532 |
| 29 | Cassia County | 25,483 | $70,830 | $344,658 |
| 30 | Owyhee County | 12,503 | $64,406 | $435,050 |
| 30 | Elmore County | 29,321 | $65,359 | $355,620 |
| 32 | Adams County | 4,744 | $61,808 | $509,845 |
| 33 | Lincoln County | 5,358 | $71,453 | $318,970 |
| 34 | Jerome County | 25,173 | $71,724 | $399,325 |
| 35 | Lewis County | 3,682 | $51,615 | $283,684 |
| 36 | Washington County | 11,142 | $54,000 | $380,273 |
| 37 | Clearwater County | 9,012 | $60,000 | $306,783 |
| 38 | Minidoka County | 22,208 | $70,377 | $323,367 |
| 39 | Butte County | 2,684 | $53,015 | $246,053 |
| 40 | Shoshone County | 13,785 | $55,527 | $271,213 |
| 40 | Clark County | 849 | $55,208 | $258,957 |
| 42 | Power County | 8,133 | $61,146 | $267,828 |
| 43 | Benewah County | 10,142 | $59,794 | $329,393 |
| 44 | Gooding County | 15,931 | $63,559 | $353,516 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS + FBI crime data via Saturday Night Science. All 44 Idaho counties.
Summary
Summary: The Best Counties In Idaho To Call Home For 2026
Living in Idaho can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
The best counties in Idaho are Ada County, Blaine County, Teton County, Jefferson County, Franklin County, Kootenai County, Boise County, Bear Lake County, Oneida County, and Bonneville County.
But now you know the outstanding parts and the parts to avoid, and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome. Not sold on Idaho? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Counties In Idaho FAQs
What is the best county to live in Idaho?
Ada County is the best county to live in Idaho for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Blaine County and Teton County are next.
What are the best counties in Idaho?
The best counties to live in Idaho are Ada County, Blaine County, Teton County, Jefferson County, Franklin County, Kootenai County, Boise County, Bear Lake County, Oneida County, and Bonneville County. We ranked all 44 Idaho counties.
How do you rank the best counties?
Counties are scored on crime, home values, income, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey and FBI data. The county with the best average across all seven, Ada County, wins.
How expensive is it to live in Ada County?
The median household income in Ada County is $91,502 and the median home costs $521,625. Statewide, the typical Idaho home runs $473,335.
Which county in Idaho should you think twice about?
Gooding County lands at the bottom of the quality-of-life ranking for Idaho. People make good lives there anyway; the numbers just say it is the toughest of the 44 counties.
