Idaho by the numbers
In Idaho, the median worker earns $46,470 a year, the typical home is worth $376,000 and carries $2,006 of property tax, and the average household pays $111 a month for electricity at 12.35¢ per kilowatt-hour.
West Western Interconnection Regulated monopoly
Energy
Idaho's generation is dominated by hydroelectricity: the Hells Canyon complex on the Snake River and a long chain of smaller plants. These dams were built decades ago, their capital cost is largely recovered, and their fuel is free. Nothing else in the American generation mix competes on running cost.
The state also draws on the federal Columbia River system through the Bonneville Power Administration, which sells at cost rather than at market, and it has added low-cost wind and solar.
The pressures on that position are real but slow. Population growth adds load faster than cheap resources can be added, drought years reduce hydro output and force market purchases, and new transmission requires capital. Idaho's rate rose modestly year over year and remains the lowest in the lower forty-eight.
Averaged across the twelve months to May 2026, Idaho households used 904 kilowatt-hours a month and paid $111. At the state median wage that is about 5 hours of work a month to keep the lights on. For heating, gas is still cheaper to run than a heat pump here, by about $2.94 per million BTU.
Work and pay
The median Idaho worker earned $46,470 in 2024, 6.1% below the national median. What distinguishes a state's labour market is rarely its biggest occupations, which are retail and food service everywhere, but what it has disproportionately.
| Occupation | Concentration | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Forest and Conservation Technicians | 12.37× | $54,310 |
| Nuclear Engineers | 8.89× | $130,210 |
| Agricultural Technicians | 7.38× | $43,480 |
| Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas | 6.88× | $50,330 |
| Logging Equipment Operators | 5.35× | $58,200 |
Property tax
The median Idaho homeowner pays $2,006 a year on a home worth $376,000, an effective rate of 0.53% against a national 0.98%. Nobody sets that rate. It is what falls out of county, city, school district and special district levies applied to an assessed value, so the state figure is a weighted average of 37 counties rather than a posted number.
Cost of living
Prices in Idaho run at 95.5 where the national average is 100, ranking it #29 of 51. Goods sit at 96.3, which is close to national almost everywhere because most goods are shipped and priced nationally. Rents sit at 90.0, and that is where states actually separate from one another. A median wage of $46,470 therefore buys what $48,660 buys nationally.
Metro areas priced separately: Boise City (98.4) , Coeur d'Alene (98.3) , Logan (95.9) , Idaho Falls (94.4) , Lewiston (91.2) .
Housing
House prices in Idaho rose 3.5% over the year to 2026 Q2, against a median across all states of +2.7%. Over ten years the index is +159.7%. Prices are at or near their record level.
Metro areas tracked here: Boise City (+3.9%) .
Who supplies the power
12 utilities report residential service in Idaho, together serving 833,236 customers. Regulated monopoly.
Idaho: common questions
What does it cost to live in Idaho?
Prices overall run at 95.5 against a national average of 100, with rents at 90.0. The typical home is worth $376,000 and carries $2,006 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.53% against a national 0.98%. Electricity averages $111 a month at 12.35¢ per kilowatt-hour. Against that, the median wage is $46,470.
What is the property tax rate in Idaho?
The effective rate is 0.53% of home value, from a median bill of $2,006. It is set locally rather than by the state, so the figure is a weighted outcome across 37 counties. County by county rates.
Does a salary go further in Idaho?
The median wage of $46,470 buys what $48,660 buys nationally, once local prices are taken out. A state paying above the national median while charging above it for housing can leave a household no better off, and this is the arithmetic that shows which side of that line Idaho falls on.
Is Idaho expensive for electricity?
It ranks #51 of 51 jurisdictions on price at 12.35¢ per kilowatt-hour, -33.0% against the U.S. average. On the actual bill it ranks 48 of 51, because households there use 904 kWh a month against a national 871.
What is the median salary in Idaho?
$46,470 across all occupations, about $22.34 an hour, covering 844,910 wage and salary workers as of 2024.
Who supplies electricity in Idaho?
12 utilities report residential service, the largest being Idaho Power Co with 525,751 customers. Regulated monopoly.
Electricity May 2026, gas 2024, utilities 2024, wages 2024. All figures from federal statistical agencies. Methodology · Sources