A Snapshot of Idaho Falls
In the heart of eastern Idaho, perched on the winding Snake River, Idaho Falls is a rapidly expanding city in one of the country’s most astonishing landscapes.
With a population of 68,001 in the city and more than 150,000 in the metro area, Idaho Falls is growing by the day. In 2010, the city had just 57,000 residents, but it’s gained more than 1,000 each year for the last three years running. One of the reasons Idaho Falls is expanding is its modest cost of living — housing here is less expensive than in any major city in the state, and there are plenty of cultural amenities to keep your troops entertained, even in Idaho Falls’ long, cold winter.
This fast-growing metro still has loads of small-town charm, though. The River Walk keeps downtown Idaho Falls connected and vibrant, with a Saturday farmers’ market and annual events like the Rotary Club’s Duck Race and the annual holiday UTV Light Parade that brings Falls residents out in droves. When the temperature falls, the skiing trails and skating rinks and tracks open for the season, not to mention the sledding hills.
But it’s no secret that this tight-knit community is the gateway to some of the nation’s most remarkable places — the Tetons and Yellowstone are only a stone’s throw from the city, and Craters of the Moon National Monument is even closer.
If you are looking for a family-centric city in the Mountain West that puts you on the doorstep of natural wonder, consider moving to Idaho Falls. Learn about the pros and cons of the city below in our moving guide, where we’ll address the housing and job market, the weather and our favorite activities in every season.
What’s the Weather Like in Idaho Falls? Understanding the Climate
If you’re looking for a city with four distinct seasons, Idaho Falls fits the bill. Residents can take advantage of the full climatic spectrum in this region, where everything from fly fishing to cycling to snowshoeing keeps folks happily outdoors. Spring and fall are cool and damp, with an average temperature in the mid-40s. These can be some of the best times to hit the trails or to enjoy one of the numerous city parks.
Summertime in Idaho Falls may be brief, but it sure is intense. The average high in July and August is in the mid-80s F. But over the last 10 years, the daily max has broken the 90-degree mark from as early as May to as late as September, and temperatures have periodically soared above 100 F. You can only count on trace amounts of rain falling in the summer, so you may need to adjust your gardening strategy if you’re moving to Idaho Falls from a more water-rich region.
Wintertime is the opposite. You can expect lows below 20°F for the peak months of the season, and highs won’t typically grace the above-freezing mark until late into February. Like many Western cities, Idaho Falls is arid, but its wet season is in winter. This results in an average snowfall of around 40 inches between December and March, but it’s not unusual to receive frozen precipitation in April, nor is it unheard of to see snow in May.
Winds can be intense any time of year, so be prepared for it to feel colder outside than the mercury indicates.
How Affordable is Idaho Falls? Cost of Living and Housing Market
One of Idaho Falls’ biggest advantages in attracting newcomers is its affordability. At $298,000, the median home price in the city is the lowest of all the major metro in the state, and the average rental rate hasn’t even broken the thousand-dollar mark.
Compared to Boise and the surrounding Nampa-Meridian-Caldwell region — where average home values range from $320,000 to $485,000 — Idaho Falls prices are a bargain.
Real estate in other Western cities is easily double, triple or quadruple the prices in Idaho Falls. The average home in Boulder costs an eye-popping $982,600, and Denver doesn’t make an easy case for itself either, with its average of nearly $590,000. In Missoula, where the population size and growth rate are comparable to Idaho Falls, you’ll likely pay upwards of $427,400 for a home. Home values in Provo and Salt Lake City — which both have prominent Mormon communities like Idaho Falls — also average between $437,000 and $495,000.
Although housing costs are comparable to the national averages, income levels are substantially lower in Idaho Falls. The median household income in Idaho Falls is only $69,630 — nearly $10,000 less than the U.S. average. According to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, this figure is sufficient to support two working adults. But if children are a part of the equation, that household needs to bring in more than $90,000 in combined income to support themselves and one child. That couple should budget $9,878 annually for food, $8,398 for childcare, $8,996 for medical expenses, $15,798 for housing, $16,544 for transportation, $6,971 for civic expenses, $2,152 for internet/mobile costs and $10,121 for miscellaneous expenses.
Finding a Job: Idaho Falls’ Job Market and Economy
Even as newcomers crowd into this burgeoning city, the job market in Idaho Falls has been able to rise to meet the demands. The unemployment rate in Idaho Falls sat at 3.7% in February 2025 — a sharp uptick from the September rate of 2.8%, but still below the national average.
The city’s economic portfolio is equally dominated by three industries: professional and business services (17,300 employees), trade, transportation and utilities (16,200 employees) and education & health services (14,800 employees).
This trifecta is supported by employers like Melaleuca — an eco-friendly wellness product manufacturer headquartered in Idaho Falls — as is the United Potato Growers of Idaho along with the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, H.A.S Inc., Idaho Falls Community Hospital, the Idaho Falls School District and the College of Eastern Idaho. Idaho State University also maintains a campus in Idaho Falls, creating a pipeline for higher education and a well-prepared workforce.
But one of the most important employers in the city is the government. Eastern Idaho Public Health is based in Idaho Falls, as is the federally operated Idaho National Laboratory — a division of the U.S. Department of Energy — which researches and produces nuclear and integrated energy products and defense systems.
What’s Life Like in Idaho Falls? Community, Culture and Outdoor Fun
With 24 square miles of museums, shops and restaurants to explore within the city limits and nearly uncountable miles to trek in the surrounding mountains and forests, Idaho Falls has a metropolitan side and wild side, too.
The River Walk is the heart of Idaho Falls, and the Idaho Falls Greenbelt can take you all the way from the downtown core to the campus of Idaho State University. Along the way, you can see some of the highlights of the city — the Japanese Friendship Garden, the Art Museum of Eastern Idaho and the kid-favorited Giant Eagle Waterfall Nest. Every Saturday — rain or shine — you can shop for local provisions from the downtown Farmers’ Market while you take in the fabulous views of the Snake River and the city’s namesake falls.
In the summertime, you won’t want to miss the Annual Great Snake River Greenbelt Duck Race. Now in its 33rd year, this all-day Rotary Club benefit awards huge prizes to the fastest rubber duck in the water, and attendance is free. Additional events like a classic car cruise, boat racing and performances from the USA Jump Rope Champions keep the party hoppin’.
This family-friendly town has plenty of attractions to keep the younger set engaged, from the hands-on activities at the Artitorium to the Idaho Falls Zoo and the East Idaho Aquarium. Here you can touch live stingrays, feed bearded dragons and meet the fish that dwell in waters far and near, from tropical saltwater wonders to Idaho’s native steelhead and Chinook salmon. At the Museum of Idaho, everyone can explore the history of the Gem State, from ancient times when mammoths roamed the land to the more recent past — and even the future — with exhibits like Signs of the Times and Artificial Intelligence: Your Mind and the Machine.
When wanderlust overtakes you, boy are there some beautiful places to wander in eastern Idaho. From Idaho Falls, it’s just two hours to Yellowstone or Grand Teton National Park and only an hour and a half to Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve. This aptly named area has one of the most unusual topographies in the country. A series of volcanic eruptions and subsequent lava flows sculpted the landscape with fire, leaving “spatter cone” mounds and cavities in their wake. Caving is one of the most popular activities at Craters, but the park is also a haven for stargazers and snowshoers alike.
Speaking of which, Idaho Falls doesn’t shut down when the mercury drops. The city maintains groomed snow trails for hiking and skiing, an ice-skating track and a skating rink at Tautphaus Park. Each winter, the annual UTV Light Parade brightens up the River Walk with a caravan of festively decorated vehicles. And Freeman Park has some of the most popular sledding hills in town. You’ll really get your workout in treading up and down them with your kids.
Make the Move to Idaho Falls
United Van Lines can help your family relocate to Idaho Falls. See how our professional movers can simplify the process.
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Managing a move alone is challenging. United Van Lines can help! If you’re moving cross-country to Idaho Falls, United’s network of long-distance movers can help you with every aspect of your relocation. A full-service move with us includes a personal moving coordinator, loading/transporting/unloading household belongings and standard furniture placement.
But that’s not all. We can tailor our moving services specifically to your needs. We offer full-service moving packages that can be customized with packing and unpacking services, storage for your belongings during and after your move, and we can even help you with debris cleanup and shipping your car.
Unsure what’s included in a moving quote? Let us help you understand what to expect.
If you’re making a local move within Idaho, United can help with local moves/movers in the state. Our interstate Idaho Falls agents/movers can provide local moving services in the greater Idaho Falls area independently under their own businesses and brands.
However, if you plan to move, planning is the most important first step. Use our week-by-week moving checklist to keep all your boxes in a row. We can also help you weigh the pros and cons of relocating with a professional mover vs moving alone.
United Van Lines has a wealth of resources to help make your move less stressful, including packing tips, advice on settling in, and even how to take a vacation from your move. Read our digital moving magazines and moving blog, where you’ll find guides to popular states and cities around the country.
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