Moving to the Idaho Falls, ID metro area

In Idaho Falls, the cost of living places it among the most expensive third of US metro areas, which is unusual for a community of nearly 160,000 people. Housing costs are primarily responsible for this ranking: home prices, rents, and homeowner expenses are higher than in about two-thirds of metro areas. However, the cost of everyday goods and utilities is just below the national average, property taxes are among the lowest in the country, and gasoline prices are higher than in around 90% of metros. The region's largest employer, Idaho National Laboratory, offers salaries that boost the median household income to almost $94,000, outperforming about 70% of metros. This income helps balance the high housing costs, and the persistent arrival of new residents to Idaho keeps demand strong in a limited market.

The average figures for the metro area mask significant differences between neighborhoods. The cheapest 10% of homes are priced at about $150 per square foot, while the top 10% exceed $325. Many of the more expensive homes are in the eastern part of Bonneville County, along the Snake River through Swan Valley towards Palisades, about an hour from Jackson Hole. Here, prices are driven by second-home buyers rather than local incomes. The less expensive neighborhoods feature older housing around downtown Idaho Falls, with early-1900s homes on smaller lots where prices depend on the property's condition, as well as the high-desert towns of Butte County beyond the laboratory's desert campus. Buyers not focused on new builds or riverfront properties can find homes priced around 20% less than the area's typical neighborhood.

Idaho Falls is among the safest quarter of US metro areas, particularly excelling in low violent crime rates, where it ranks better than about 80% of other metros. SettleSavvy grades neighborhoods in the US with letters. We use the best available data to build a model of crime location and frequency. You can read more about the grading method here. The low rates of violent crime are consistent across the metro area, with the average neighborhood rating almost an A-, and 80% scoring above the national median.

However, property crime has a wider range of grades in Idaho Falls. It varies from a D in the bottom 10% to an A- in the top score. Higher property crime tends to be in central Idaho Falls, where it correlates with the concentration of shops and services, suggesting theft is more frequent near stores than homes. In contrast, outlying farm towns like Rigby score higher in safety. Even the neighborhoods with the lowest grades have violent crime rates around a C. Therefore, in Idaho Falls, finding the safest areas mainly revolves around property crime, as living in a central location increases the risk of theft more than violence.

Idaho Falls is ranked 15th out of more than 900 U.S. metros for its family-friendly environment, mainly due to its large population of children. Almost 30% of its residents are under 18, making the youth population percentage higher than in most other metros. Children under 6 make up nearly as large a share. The schools in the area generally earn B scores, placing them in the top quarter of U.S. districts, with over 90% of neighborhoods having school scores above the national median.

This age distribution can be attributed to the high number of Latter-day Saints in eastern Idaho, whose families typically have more children than the national average. Children are evenly distributed across neighborhoods rather than concentrated in specific family-oriented subdivisions. Almost every neighborhood has a higher percentage of children compared to the national average, ensuring that families find peers wherever they purchase a home. The central area is divided between two school districts: Idaho Falls District 91, which covers the older city center, and Bonneville District 93, located in the rapidly developing east side near Ammon, where the newest schools have been constructed. These districts maintain similar test scores. While playgrounds are plentiful within the city, the larger metro area extends into rural farmland, meaning the typical neighborhood lacks a playground within two miles.

Winter is the main season in Idaho Falls, located on the eastern Snake River Plain's high desert. Freezing temperatures are common on more than half the mornings each year, with few US metros experiencing this frequency. Snowfall averages around five feet annually. Between storms, calm periods can cause cold air to settle, leading to inversions that trap chill and haze until the next weather front arrives. Summers are dry and mild, with daytime highs near 80 degrees and the air among the least humid in the country. Evenings cool quickly. Cold nights limit fully comfortable days to about four weeks per year, which is among the lowest nationwide. Outside of midsummer, warm afternoons follow chilly mornings. Winter also serves as a recreation period, with Kelly Canyon's ski lifts just a half-hour away and Grand Targhee and West Yellowstone's snowmobiling areas under two hours.

Idaho Falls faces three significant hazards: earthquakes, winter storms, and range fires. The area's high earthquake risk stems from the Intermountain Seismic Belt faults surrounding the plain, which caused the 1983 Borah Peak quake, Idaho's strongest on record. Approximately 22 winter storms occur annually, and nearby sagebrush regions frequently experience fires. In August, eastern Idaho faced fire restrictions. While hurricanes don't reach this area, and tornadoes are rare, the region has averaged about one federal disaster declaration since 2005, one of the lowest rates among US metros. The hazards occur frequently but rarely result in major disasters.

Idaho Falls ranks among the top eighth of US metropolitan areas for amenities, largely because of its shopping options. The area is in the top 5 percent of metros for accessible store floor space, everyday services like salons and barbers, and gyms. Dining options are also strong. However, these numbers represent the metro area as a whole, which includes three predominantly rural counties. In a typical neighborhood, you might find one restaurant on average, but no salons, bars, or gyms. In the top quarter of neighborhoods, dozens of restaurants and shops are available.

Two districts account for these high amenities figures by serving more people than Idaho Falls' population alone. This is because the city acts as a retail and medical center for eastern Idaho, attracting shoppers from places like Rexburg, Rigby, and Blackfoot. The 17th Street corridor on the east side houses Grand Teton Mall and big-box stores along Hitt Road. Downtown, located on the Snake River, has been revitalized over the past decade with new restaurants. Nightlife isn't as developed, which aligns with the heavily LDS character of eastern Idaho. Living in Idaho Falls or Ammon allows errands to be as convenient as in a larger city, but in Jefferson County's farming towns, most amenities require a drive into town.

Idaho Falls is in the bottom quarter of U.S. metropolitan areas for green space, but the reason is farming, not pavement. Natural vegetation covers less than 10% of the land. That's because the valley floor of the Snake River Plain consists mainly of irrigated cropland. Potato and barley fields are considered farmed land, not forest or shrub. Most neighborhoods have almost no natural green space. The greenest areas, around the sagebrush steppe near the Idaho National Laboratory site and in the forested foothills east of town, have nearly 90% natural cover.

In terms of trail access, Idaho Falls ranks in the top third among U.S. metros for connected trail miles. Three out of four neighborhoods surpass the typical American neighborhood, thanks to the Greenbelt's paved loop along the Snake River downtown. However, parks are rare; most neighborhoods lack a park within two miles, because fields surround the city. This setup suits people who use the town as a starting point for outdoor activities: the Greenbelt after work, with Swan Valley and the Caribou-Targhee National Forest an hour to the southeast and Yellowstone less than two hours away. It doesn't favor those who want a park right at the end of their block.

Idaho Falls ranks 186th out of 918 US metro areas for affluence, largely thanks to the Idaho National Laboratory. This laboratory, located in the desert west of town, started as a federal reactor testing station in 1949. It has since become the region's largest and highest-paying employer. The median household income in the area is around $94,000, and nearly 40% of workers have professional or managerial positions.

In Idaho Falls, education levels are higher than income levels. About 20% of adults have a bachelor's degree, a higher percentage than nearly 80% of US metros. However, household income ranks higher than only about 66% of them. The lab employs many professionals; meanwhile, most households work in health care, retail, or industries related to local potato and grain farms, earning typical local wages rather than the lab's higher salaries. Rents are relatively high compared to incomes, as a decade of migration into Idaho has outpaced home construction. Thus, a typical paycheck buys about as much housing as it would in an average metro area. A job offer from the laboratory gives you a financial edge; otherwise, job seekers face competition for the lower-paying tier of jobs.

Idaho Falls ranks in the top quarter of U.S. metro areas for community stability, even with shorter tenures. Residents typically live in their homes for about ten years, less than in most metros. In smaller areas, people usually stay longer, but Idaho Falls compensates with its household structure. Two-thirds of households consist of couples, nearly the highest share in the country, while single-parent households are among the scarcest. Shorter stays are linked to growth; new arrivals since 2010 lower the median stay, while established neighborhoods exceed national norms.

This pattern reflects the Latter-day Saint community. Most of Bonneville County belongs to the church, with many families rooted there for generations. Church members tend to marry younger, more frequently, and divorce less than other Americans. Some newcomers arrive due to hiring at Idaho National Laboratory, the largest employer in eastern Idaho. However, with three out of four homes being owner-occupied and move-in rates typical for U.S. metros, most movement involves owners changing houses. Married families with children fit in smoothly, yet single adults and newcomers outside the church find that social life often revolves around congregations and takes time to access.