Now that we’re headed towards the next big election, we wanted to get a better sense of what parts of Idaho would be the most likely to back Donald Trump again.
Specifically, which cities have the highest number of conservative voters in the Gem State?
To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to measure how each city in Idaho with populations greater than 5,000 voted in past elections. The cities with the highest percentage of voters who voted Republican were named the most conservative cities in the state.
87.7% Republican vote · #1 most conservative in Idaho
Preston is a city in Franklin County, Idaho, United States. The population was 5,204 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Franklin County. It is part of the Logan, Utah-Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
85.4% Republican vote · #2 most conservative in Idaho
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
82.1% Republican vote · #3 most conservative in Idaho
Located in
Minidoka County, Idaho
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
79.8% Republican vote · #4 most conservative in Idaho
Located in
Gem County, Idaho
Emmett is a city in Gem County, Idaho, United States. The population was 6,557 at the 2010 census, up from 5,490 in 2000. It is the county seat and the only city in the county. Emmett is part of the BoiseNampa, Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
79.2% Republican vote · #5 most conservative in Idaho
Located in
Madison County, Idaho
Rexburg is a city in Madison County, Idaho, United States. The population was 25,484 at the 2010 census, up from 17,257 in 2000. The city is the county seat of Madison County and its largest city. Rexburg is the principal city of the Rexburg, ID Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Fremont and Madison Counties. The city is home to Brigham Young University-Idaho, a private institution operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
78.5% Republican vote · #6 most conservative in Idaho
Fruitland is a city in Payette County, Idaho, United States. It lies along U.S. Route 95 in the Treasure Valley of southwest Idaho, about 50 miles west of Boise on the border with Oregon. It is part of the Ontario Micropolitan Area. Fruitland is named after the apple orchards that surround the community, and its slogan is “The Big Apple of Idaho.”
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
78.5% Republican vote · #6 most conservative in Idaho
Located in
Payette County, Idaho
Payette is a city in and the county seat of Payette County, Idaho, United States. The population was 7,433 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ontario, ORID Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
78.4% Republican vote · #8 most conservative in Idaho
Located in
Minidoka County, Idaho
Rupert is the county seat and largest city of Minidoka County, Idaho, United States. It is part of the Burley Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,554 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
77.7% Republican vote · #10 most conservative in Idaho
Weiser is a city in the rural western part of the U.S. state of Idaho and the county seat of Washington County. With its mild climate, the city supports farm, orchard, and livestock endeavors in the vicinity. The city sits at the confluence of the Weiser River with the great Snake River, which marks the border with Oregon. The population was 5,507 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
76.5% Republican vote · #12 most conservative in Idaho
Located in
Bingham County, Idaho
Blackfoot is a city in Bingham County, Idaho, United States. The population was 11,899 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Bingham County. Blackfoot boasts the largest potato industry in any one area, and is known as the “Potato Capital of the World.” It is the site of the Idaho Potato Museum, and the home of the world’s largest baked potato and potato chip. Blackfoot is also the location of the Eastern Idaho State Fair, which operates between Labor Day weekend and the following weekend.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Idaho’s statewide median.
On the map
Mapping the conservative strongholds in Idaho
Saturday Night Science
How we determined the most conservative cities in Idaho for 2026
To find the most conservative places in Idaho, we used Saturday Night Science – the argument you’d make at a bar – to find the cities with the most conservatives.
We started by making a list of every city in Idaho over 5,000 people based on the 2020-2024 American Community Survey. That left us with 36 cities and towns.
We then measured the voting record and MIT election data to determine which places rock the most rightward in their allegiances by:
- Percentage Of Votes For The Republican President In 2020
Because no voting data exists at the city level, we used county-level election results from the 2020 election. We assigned every city in a county the percentage of votes that went to the Republicans, effectively extending the county’s results to the city level. In cases where larger cities encompassed an entire county, the election outcomes accurately reflected the city’s political landscape.
Next, we ranked each city from 1 to 36 for each criterion, where number one was the most conservative.
The winner, Preston, is “The Most Conservative City in Idaho For 2026”. The most liberal place in Idaho was Hailey.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the most conservative places to live in Idaho.
The full plate
Most Conservative Places In Idaho
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Conservative Score | Population | % Conservative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Preston | 1.00 | 5,928 | 87.7% |
| 2 | Rigby | 2.00 | 5,404 | 85.4% |
| 3 | Burley | 3.00 | 11,958 | 82.1% |
| 4 | Emmett | 4.00 | 8,275 | 79.8% |
| 5 | Rexburg | 5.00 | 40,543 | 79.2% |
| 6 | Fruitland | 6.50 | 6,663 | 78.5% |
| 6 | Payette | 6.50 | 8,536 | 78.5% |
| 8 | Rupert | 8.50 | 6,190 | 78.4% |
| 9 | Weiser | 10.00 | 5,935 | 77.7% |
| 10 | Blackfoot | 11.50 | 12,782 | 76.5% |
| 10 | Shelley | 11.50 | 5,092 | 76.5% |
| 12 | Jerome | 13.00 | 12,930 | 73.4% |
| 13 | Mountain Home | 14.00 | 16,493 | 71.0% |
| 14 | Kimberly | 15.50 | 5,111 | 70.9% |
| 14 | Twin Falls | 15.50 | 54,164 | 70.9% |
| 17 | Hayden | 18.50 | 16,338 | 70.2% |
| 17 | Coeur d’Alene | 18.50 | 56,447 | 70.2% |
| 17 | Rathdrum | 18.50 | 10,874 | 70.2% |
| 17 | Post Falls | 18.50 | 43,391 | 70.2% |
| 20 | Idaho Falls | 21.50 | 67,725 | 70.0% |
| 20 | Ammon | 21.50 | 19,064 | 70.0% |
| 22 | Pocatello | 23.00 | 57,635 | 68.8% |
| 24 | Star | 25.50 | 14,745 | 68.3% |
| 24 | Middleton | 25.50 | 10,649 | 68.3% |
| 24 | Caldwell | 25.50 | 66,516 | 68.3% |
| 24 | Nampa | 25.50 | 110,319 | 68.3% |
| 27 | Sandpoint | 28.00 | 9,637 | 67.2% |
| 28 | Lewiston | 29.00 | 34,651 | 65.5% |
| 29 | Chubbuck | 30.50 | 16,126 | 59.0% |
| 32 | Eagle | 34.50 | 32,855 | 50.4% |
| 32 | Garden City | 34.50 | 12,654 | 50.4% |
| 32 | Meridian | 34.50 | 130,138 | 50.4% |
| 32 | Kuna | 34.50 | 27,158 | 50.4% |
| 32 | Boise City | 34.50 | 237,242 | 50.4% |
| 35 | Moscow | 38.00 | 26,286 | 46.0% |
| 36 | Hailey | 39.00 | 9,665 | 30.3% |
Source: county-level 2020 election results, U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 36 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summing Up The Conservative Strongholds in Idaho
Well, there you have it, the places in Idaho that have the highest number of conservatives per capita, with Preston ranking as the most conservative in the entire state.
The most conservative cities in Idaho are Preston, Rigby, Burley, Emmett, Rexburg, Fruitland, Payette, Rupert, Weiser, and Blackfoot.
If you’re curious, here are the least conservative cities in Idaho.
