PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Idaho Falls, ID

58.4
Life Score / 100
B+
Grade (curved)
#78
of 387 metros
80%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Idaho Falls ranks #78 of 387 US metros, ahead of 80% - carried by its childcare (87/100) and held back most by environment (41/100).

87
strongest: Childcare
74
then: Safety
41
weakest: Environment
7
weighted dimensions

Where Idaho Falls sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

58 Top 20% higher than 80% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Below this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Below this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Below this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). This entry sits in this band. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Idaho Falls Life Score

Idaho Falls's composite score of 58.4 out of 100, a grade of B+, places the metro at rank #78 of 387, ahead of 80% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Childcare (87/100) and Safety (74/100), which pull the composite upward, while Environment (41/100) and Cost of Living (46/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 94.4 (rent-RPP 84.0). BLS median salary $63,842, 72,210 jobs (Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers, General and Operations Managers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,305/mo (studio $1,034).

FBI UCR (ID): 235 violent, 754 property/100K. NCES: 17.1:1 ratio, 9.8% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,315/yr. EPA: 12 Superfund sites (ID). Ranks #75-#81 below.

Dimension detail

How Idaho Falls scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 46/100 (20%)
Wages 56/100 (20%)
Rent 50/100 (15%)
Safety 74/100 (15%)
Schools 65/100 (10%)
Childcare 87/100 (10%)
Environment 41/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

94.4
Cost Index (RPP)
$63,842
Avg Median Salary
$1,305
2BR Fair Market Rent
235
Violent Crime/100K (ID)
17.1:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$7,315
Infant Childcare/yr (ID)
12
Superfund Sites (ID)
72,210
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Idaho Falls With...

Idaho Falls vs Pocatello Compare → Idaho Falls vs Twin Falls Compare → Idaho Falls vs Lewiston Compare → Idaho Falls vs Wildwood Compare → Idaho Falls vs Waterloo Compare → Idaho Falls vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Idaho Falls outranks 80% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#75 Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC 58.5 B+
#76 Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC 58.6 B+
#77 Huntsville, AL 58.6 B+
#78 Idaho Falls, ID 58.4 B+
#79 Cleveland, OH 58.2 B+
#80 Waco, TX 58.2 B+
#81 Bowling Green, KY 58.0 B+

ID Metro Scores

Pocatello, ID A 63.0 Twin Falls, ID * A- 60.8 Lewiston, ID-WA A- 60.4 Logan, UT-ID B- 50.7 Boise City, ID C+ 47.9 Coeur d'Alene, ID C+ 46.9

Using Idaho Falls's Life Score

Idaho Falls is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is childcare (87/100) and its weakest is environment (41/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Idaho Falls head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Idaho Falls lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Idaho Falls's biggest strengths? ▼
Idaho Falls's strongest dimensions are Childcare (87/100), Safety (74/100), Schools (65/100). Childcare is top-tier nationally.
What are Idaho Falls's weakest areas? ▼
Idaho Falls's lowest-scoring dimensions are Environment (41/100), Cost of Living (46/100), Rent (50/100).
How expensive is Idaho Falls compared to the national average? ▼
Idaho Falls's Regional Price Parity is 94.4 (5.6% less than national); rent RPP 84.0.
What is the average salary in Idaho Falls? ▼
Idaho Falls median salary: $63,842, 72,210 jobs. Top: Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers, General and Operations Managers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Idaho Falls's 58.4/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.