Special Report

This is the Best City to Live in Idaho

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About one in every five American workers whose job could be performed remotely worked from home before the COVID-19 pandemic. That share jumped to nearly three in four following the abrupt closure of offices nationwide, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in October 2020. For millions of Americans, the shift to remote work is now permanent, and the new dynamic means they are no longer tied to a specific city for their job and can choose a place to live based on other factors, including quality of life — which varies considerably in the United States.

Affordability, access to public spaces and services, the presence of entertainment and cultural amenities, crime rates, and socioeconomic conditions are just a few of the factors that can influence quality of life in a given city or town.

24/7 Wall St. created a weighted index of 25 measures in four main categories – economy, affordability, quality of life, and community – using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI, and other sources to identify the best city to live in each state. We considered all boroughs, census designated places, cities, towns, and villages with at least 8,000 residents.

Meridian, a city of about 102,000 residents just west of Boise, ranks as the best place to live in Idaho. The city has a strategic growth plan designed to allow for sustainable expansion and promote industry without sacrificing quality of life. Recently, FedEx opened a 120,000 square foot distribution facility in the area, bringing several hundred jobs with it. Over the last five years, an average of just 3.7% of the local labor force were unemployed, below both the comparable 4.3% state and 5.3% national jobless rates.

Incomes in Meridian are also far higher than they are in much of the state. The typical area household earns $71,389 a year, well above the median income of $55,785 across Idaho. As is often the case in areas with strong job markets and high incomes, Meridian is also safe. There were only 159 violent crimes for every 100,000 people in the city in 2019, compared to 224 per 100,000 in Idaho and 367 per 100,000 nationwide.

Our index is composed of data across four categories: affordability, economy, quality of life, and community. Data is all for the most recent year available and came from the U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI, The Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other sources. This is the best city to live in every state.

 

Place Population Median home value ($) Median household income ($) 5-yr. avg. unemployment (%)
Alabama: Hoover 85,175 291,000 89,452 3.3
Alaska: Juneau 32,227 345,900 88,390 4.6
Arizona: Paradise Valley 14,362 1,516,200 211,393 2.1
Arkansas: Lowell 9,175 157,600 68,438 1.0
California: Burlingame 30,576 1,901,900 128,447 4.7
Colorado: Durango 18,588 463,700 66,160 4.8
Connecticut: Darien 21,742 1,471,700 232,523 4.9
Delaware: Smyrna 11,484 206,400 67,277 5.4
Florida: Key Biscayne 12,915 1,211,000 151,310 5.3
Georgia: Sandy Springs 107,072 471,800 78,613 3.0
Hawaii: Urban Honolulu 348,985 683,000 71,465 3.7
Idaho: Meridian 101,905 274,900 71,389 3.7
Illinois: Winnetka 12,428 1,091,700 250,000+ 2.4
Indiana: Carmel 97,464 333,200 112,765 2.5
Iowa: North Liberty 18,829 220,800 83,949 1.1
Kansas: Leawood 34,670 463,200 157,515 2.7
Kentucky: Fort Mitchell 8,257 272,200 67,745 0.5
Louisiana: Harahan 9,304 240,300 66,741 3.6
Maine: Portland 66,595 289,000 60,467 2.8
Maryland: Takoma Park 17,672 583,800 84,591 5.6
Massachusetts: Brookline 59,180 933,200 117,326 2.8
Michigan: Royal Oak 59,195 224,600 81,665 3.2
Minnesota: Edina 51,746 476,300 104,244 3.1
Mississippi: Byram 11,578 141,700 66,641 2.2
Missouri: Ladue 8,601 831,800 214,875 1.3
Montana: Belgrade 8,685 243,200 59,146 2.9
Nebraska: Papillion 20,423 189,900 80,619 2.5
Nevada: Reno 246,500 335,000 58,790 5.4
New Hampshire: Portsmouth 21,775 425,600 83,923 2.1
New Jersey: Hoboken 53,193 720,700 147,620 3.0
New Mexico: Corrales 8,588 447,600 85,580 2.8
New York: Rye 15,820 1,392,100 192,688 4.1
North Carolina: Davidson 12,735 448,300 124,853 2.8
North Dakota: West Fargo 35,397 241,000 85,120 1.5
Ohio: Bay Village 15,325 247,900 103,582 1.3
Oklahoma: Bixby ` 223,900 83,119 2.9
Oregon: Sherwood 19,625 405,900 103,512 1.8
Pennsylvania: Wyomissing 10,473 245,600 81,178 4.3
Rhode Island: Newport 24,663 448,800 67,102 5.2
South Carolina: Mount Pleasant 86,982 461,000 103,232 2.1
South Dakota: Brandon 9,934 225,200 87,250 1.6
Tennessee: Brentwood 42,407 655,400 168,688 2.6
Texas: Highland Park 9,168 1,508,900 211,136 1.4
Utah: South Jordan 71,198 405,400 104,597 1.6
Vermont: South Burlington 19,162 307,500 73,065 3.7
Virginia: Vienna 16,489 743,500 161,196 2.4
Washington: Mercer Island 25,675 1,218,200 147,566 4.0
West Virginia: Weirton 18,670 94,800 49,496 6.6
Wisconsin: Middleton 19,487 336,900 76,011 2.5
Wyoming: Cheyenne 63,607 214,300 64,598 5.4

 

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