You’ve seen these lists before. Best places to live in Idaho. Best suburbs in Idaho. Best counties in Idaho.
Etc., etc., etc.
But they all focus on major cities and towns in the Gem State, and no one pays attention to the little guy.
Well, that’s all about to change as we put together a list of the superb small towns in Idaho based on numbers–not opinions or hearsay.
We’ll dive right into our methodology in the next section, but first, we thought you might want to know which places in Idaho ranked the best based on Saturday Night Science.
$93,046 median income · 0.0% unemployment
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$125,987 median income · 0.0% unemployment
$80,000 median income · 1.1% unemployment
$84,914 median income · 1.0% unemployment
$89,079 median income · 1.4% unemployment
$85,673 median income · 4.1% unemployment
$77,237 median income · 1.4% unemployment
$66,953 median income · 1.9% unemployment
$65,375 median income · 3.9% unemployment
$106,250 median income · 3.2% 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 small towns are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In Idaho
We threw a lot of criteria at this report to get the best, most complete results of the best small towns in Idaho possible.
Using the most recent data from the Census’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Saturday Night Science, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (Higher is better)
- Lowest Unemployment Rates
- Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
- Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
- Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
- Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
- Commute Times (Lower is better)
We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which there were many – 64 to be exact.
We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 64, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in Idaho. Top of that list — Ketchum.
This is our eleventh time ranking the best small places to live in Idaho.
The full plate
Best Small Towns In Idaho
Click any column to sort. Search by town name.
| Rank | Town | Population | Median Income | Median Home Value | Unemployment Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ketchum | 3,594 | $93,046 | $1,627,916 | 0.0% |
| 2 | Sun Valley | 1,460 | $125,987 | $1,158,317 | 0.0% |
| 3 | Dalton Gardens | 2,496 | $80,000 | $908,677 | 1.1% |
| 4 | Iona | 2,984 | $84,914 | $431,905 | 1.0% |
| 5 | Ucon | 1,606 | $89,079 | $385,476 | 1.4% |
| 6 | Genesee | 1,265 | $85,673 | $450,905 | 4.1% |
| 7 | Malad City | 2,601 | $77,237 | $337,620 | 1.4% |
| 8 | Sugar City | 2,122 | $66,953 | $383,376 | 1.9% |
| 9 | New Plymouth | 1,794 | $65,375 | $493,609 | 3.9% |
| 10 | Robie Creek | 1,213 | $106,250 | $661,946 | 3.2% |
| 11 | Lincoln | 4,002 | $84,280 | $426,861 | 4.5% |
| 12 | Filer | 2,925 | $64,671 | $414,707 | 0.7% |
| 13 | Driggs | 2,925 | $95,392 | $801,777 | 2.1% |
| 14 | Franklin | 1,034 | $81,830 | $409,275 | 6.2% |
| 15 | Tyhee | 1,568 | $93,125 | $521,280 | 5.4% |
| 16 | Mountain Home AFB | 3,219 | $74,196 | $0 | 5.8% |
| 17 | Grangeville | 3,515 | $61,322 | $326,846 | 2.0% |
| 18 | Bellevue | 2,588 | $72,712 | $690,133 | 5.2% |
| 19 | McCall | 3,946 | $60,253 | $780,990 | 5.4% |
| 20 | Groveland | 1,422 | $76,094 | $406,621 | 4.7% |
| 21 | St. Maries | 2,915 | $60,458 | $346,509 | 5.0% |
| 22 | Hagerman | 1,276 | $59,808 | $415,027 | 3.8% |
| 23 | Kootenai | 1,022 | $70,885 | $472,941 | 5.5% |
| 24 | Ashton | 1,417 | $65,428 | $282,953 | 5.4% |
| 25 | Ririe | 1,079 | $67,123 | $181,713 | 1.6% |
| 26 | Paul | 1,586 | $66,500 | $333,246 | 0.8% |
| 27 | Victor | 3,067 | $77,267 | $902,954 | 1.0% |
| 28 | Salmon | 3,203 | $42,844 | $339,471 | 3.0% |
| 29 | Greenleaf | 1,482 | $69,141 | $419,734 | 3.7% |
| 30 | Bonners Ferry | 2,669 | $52,500 | $455,939 | 0.7% |
| 31 | Spirit Lake | 1,972 | $65,192 | $578,760 | 3.7% |
| 32 | Grace | 1,349 | $72,885 | $345,575 | 2.3% |
| 33 | Soda Springs | 3,158 | $57,361 | $320,362 | 1.0% |
| 34 | Priest River | 1,778 | $58,782 | $549,851 | 1.9% |
| 35 | Pinehurst | 2,120 | $68,676 | $269,664 | 1.3% |
| 36 | Lapwai | 1,021 | $57,439 | $395,275 | 3.4% |
| 37 | Cottonwood | 1,131 | $79,271 | $335,778 | 9.3% |
| 38 | Wilder | 2,074 | $55,117 | $541,786 | 0.4% |
| 39 | American Falls | 4,712 | $57,783 | $270,842 | 7.3% |
| 40 | Marsing | 1,306 | $70,202 | $396,086 | 1.7% |
| 41 | Hansen | 1,225 | $50,083 | $336,679 | 1.1% |
| 42 | Moyie Springs | 1,378 | $61,615 | $461,946 | 7.0% |
| 43 | Buhl | 4,673 | $55,568 | $373,654 | 5.4% |
| 44 | Parma | 1,928 | $49,231 | $508,992 | 3.6% |
| 45 | Orofino | 3,260 | $53,438 | $327,570 | 6.5% |
| 46 | Heyburn | 3,693 | $64,179 | $324,360 | 4.5% |
| 47 | Osburn | 1,620 | $50,673 | $281,011 | 2.2% |
| 48 | Carey | 1,196 | $59,375 | $506,917 | 6.8% |
| 49 | Montpelier | 2,694 | $61,375 | $279,853 | 3.4% |
| 50 | Wendell | 2,981 | $57,266 | $332,401 | 6.4% |
| 51 | Kamiah | 1,084 | $36,071 | $321,355 | 4.6% |
| 52 | Moreland | 1,326 | $60,682 | $280,993 | 0.0% |
| 53 | Wallace | 1,027 | $51,492 | $254,819 | 5.7% |
| 54 | Shoshone | 1,911 | $69,392 | $306,397 | 8.6% |
| 55 | Aberdeen | 2,564 | $82,619 | $301,128 | 8.0% |
| 56 | Ponderay | 1,534 | $51,346 | $493,802 | 6.5% |
| 57 | Plummer | 1,162 | $54,306 | $317,214 | 5.4% |
| 58 | Gooding | 3,778 | $41,899 | $325,253 | 3.3% |
| 59 | St. Anthony | 3,911 | $53,152 | $284,629 | 6.3% |
| 60 | Homedale | 3,069 | $62,117 | $355,141 | 5.6% |
| 61 | Glenns Ferry | 1,438 | $51,840 | $265,603 | 1.1% |
| 62 | Cascade | 1,118 | $53,750 | $435,059 | 8.8% |
| 63 | Fort Hall | 2,654 | $44,514 | $393,609 | 13.3% |
| 64 | Kellogg | 2,307 | $50,625 | $288,006 | 10.8% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024 via Saturday Night Science. 64 Idaho towns between 1,000 and 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones
We said it once, and we’ll say it again — this list: it’s just science. We did the research, crunched the numbers, and it turns out these small towns in Idaho are the best in which to live.
And who can argue with that?
The best small towns in Idaho are Ketchum, Sun Valley, Dalton Gardens, Iona, Ucon, Genesee, Malad City, Sugar City, New Plymouth, and Robie Creek. Not sold on Idaho? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Small Towns In Idaho FAQs
What is the best small town to live in Idaho?
Ketchum is the best small town in Idaho for 2026. The median household income there is $93,046 and the median home costs $1,627,916. Sun Valley and Dalton Gardens round out the top three.
What are the best small towns in Idaho?
The best small towns in Idaho are Ketchum, Sun Valley, Dalton Gardens, Iona, Ucon, Genesee, Malad City, Sugar City, New Plymouth, and Robie Creek. We ranked all 64 Idaho towns with between 1,000 and 5,000 residents.
What counts as a small town?
For this ranking, a small town is any Idaho place with between 1,000 and 5,000 residents. 64 towns fit that window this year.
How do you rank the best small towns in Idaho?
Each town is scored on density, unemployment, housing costs, income, education, insurance coverage, and commute times, using Census American Community Survey data. The town with the best average across all of it, Ketchum, takes the top spot.
How much does a home cost in Ketchum?
The median home in Ketchum runs $1,627,916, against $473,335 across Idaho as a whole. Pair that with a $93,046 median household income, and you can see why it ranks so well.
