City profile · Idaho · Census ACS 2023

Mountain Home, ID

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Mountain Home - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

16,265
Residents
$58,486
Median income
$270,700
Median home
$1,192
Median rent (state)

Mountain Home - the verdict

Mountain Home ranks in the 33rd percentile for household income and the 75th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.

33rd
percentile, household income
60th
percentile, home value
36th
percentile, median rent
75th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Mountain Home, ID

Census ACS 2023 estimates count 16,265 residents in Mountain Home, a small town within Idaho. Median household income here is $58,486 per year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 7.7%. Mountain Home's housing stock carries a median value of $270,700, and the median resident age is 31.4 years. Educational attainment runs 18.9% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 45.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

In 2024, 107 residential building permits were authorized in Mountain Home (Building Boom), up 91% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Mountain Home reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR figures show 726.7 crimes per 100,000 residents, below the national average (reporting is voluntary across agencies, so treat this as reporting activity rather than a definitive danger score).

Living costs in Idaho run below the national norm: the state registers 95.5 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,192 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $170 across Idaho, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Workers in Mountain Home report an average commute of 21.7 minutes, with 88.8% driving alone and 2.5% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 52.0 out of 100 (Low).

Population

16,265 residents

Census ACS 2023 - Idaho

Median Household Income

$58,486 /yr

Poverty 7.7%

Cost of Living Index (state)

95.5 (US=100)

Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, Idaho average

How does Mountain Home compare to other US cities?

Here's how Mountain Home stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 33% higher than other cities
Home value 60% pricier than other cities
Median rent 36% pricier than other cities
Safety 75% safer than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Idaho alone, Mountain Home ranks #22 of 53 Idaho cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares Mountain Home against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Idaho only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.

Idaho-relative analysis

Median Gross Rent sits close to the middle of Idaho's city distribution

Among the 215 Idaho cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Mountain Home ranks #83 - the 60th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Mountain Home only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#123 of 206
40th percentile in Idaho
Median Gross Rent
#83 of 215
60th percentile in Idaho
Median Home Value
#83 of 204
59th percentile in Idaho
Poverty Rate
#115 of 215
47th percentile in Idaho
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#103 of 215
51st percentile in Idaho

Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Idaho only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.

33rdIncome percentile
75thSafety percentile

33rd percentile nationally for median household income · 75th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

Mountain Home's profile vs. every US city

Income, affordability, and safety percentile

Mountain Home's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown. 3-axis radar comparing 1 series across Income, Affordability, Safety. IncomeAffordabilitySafety 53 Avg. percentile National median
Mountain Home's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.

How Mountain Home's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$270,700 40th percentile more affordable than 40% of 15,600 US cities

$0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Below this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). This entry sits in this band. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Mountain Home $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. 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 U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

Income distribution context

Household income distribution - Mountain Home, ID Mountain Home, ID's reported median household income shown against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern (not Mountain Home, ID-specific quintile data). The Lorenz curve traces the national cumulative income share against cumulative population share, perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Mountain Home, ID median $58,486/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Mountain Home, ID's median household income (Census ACS 5-year estimate) plotted against the U.S. national income-quintile distribution pattern for context; the quintile shares and Lorenz curve are national figures, not computed specifically for Mountain Home, ID. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 18.9%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 7.7%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 45.2%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
16,265
Median Income
$58,486
Median Home Value
$270,700
Median Age
31.4
Poverty Rate
7.7%
Labor force participation
45.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
18.9%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
726.7
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
200.9
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
525.8
per 100,000 residents

Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.

Schools

Total Schools
11
Public schools in this city

Population Change

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
15,500 residents16,000 residents16,500 residents17,000 residents 202020212022202320242025 16,051 residents 16,779 residents ▲ +4.5%
Mountain Home's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized

📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
107
housing units authorized
Single-Family
107
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
6.6
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 56
2020 64
2021 77
2022 42
2023 184
2024 107

Permit volume increased 91% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
21.7 minutes
Drive Alone
88.8%
Carpool
4.8%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
2.0%
Work from Home
2.5%
Other
1.9%

Based on 7,167 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Idaho - EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$80
avg/month
Natural Gas
$50
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$40
avg/month
Total Utilities
$170
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Idaho state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Cost of living is a Idaho state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Mountain Home sits in

Cost of Living Index
95.5
Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,192/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
52.0 / 100
Low
FEMA NRI composite score (county)

Similar Cities in Idaho

Hayden
16,021 people
Chubbuck
15,900 people
Ammon
18,496 people
Star
13,231 people
Jerome
12,689 people
Blackfoot
12,628 people

Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide

Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Mountain Home's 16,265 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).

Ladson, SC
16,261 people
Fairview Heights, IL
16,255 people
Bellevue, WI
16,255 people
Ocean Pointe, HI
16,276 people
Kings Park, NY
16,249 people
Pearl River, NY
16,282 people

Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide

Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Mountain Home's $58,486 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).

Lamar, CO
$58,487 median income
Union Point, GA
$58,487 median income
Selinsgrove, PA
$58,484 median income
Lismore, MN
$58,490 median income
Perth Amboy, NJ
$58,490 median income
St. Francis, WI
$58,490 median income

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity - Mountain Home, ID Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Mountain Home, ID - Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE, sums to 100% 73.8% 13.0% ETHNICITY, Hispanic or Latino (any race) 16.8% White 73.8% Black or African American 3.1% Asian 3.8% American Indian 1.8% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 4.4% Two or more races 13.0% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.

How Mountain Home compares to nearby Idaho cities

Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).

City Population Median Household Income
Mountain Home (this city) 16,265 $58,486
Hayden 16,021 $77,534
Chubbuck 15,900 $78,646
Ammon 18,496 $84,154
Census ACS 5-year FIPS ID FBI UCR NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Mountain Home, ID?

What is the population of Mountain Home, ID? +

Mountain Home, ID counts 16,265 residents according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Mountain Home, ID? +

Median annual household income in Mountain Home runs $58,486, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Mountain Home? +

BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Mountain Home; the closest available measure is the Idaho state average, a cost of living index of 95.5 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within Idaho vary by metro area.

Is Mountain Home, ID safe? +

Mountain Home has a total crime rate of 726.7 per 100,000 residents, which is below the national average. This reflects incidents reported to the FBI UCR program, not a definitive safety score -- agency reporting is voluntary and completeness varies by jurisdiction.

What is the median home value in Mountain Home, ID? +

Homes in Mountain Home carry a median value of $270,700, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

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

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

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Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.