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Star, Idaho

Star is a small town of about 21,000 people in Ada County, Idaho. It's growing fast: its population is up 82% since 2020. A typical home costs about 5.8 years of the typical household's income, compared with 4.1 across the U.S. The nearest metro area of about a million people or more, Salt Lake City, is about 309 miles away as the crow flies.

Boom town

Population
20,874
up 82% since 2020
Typical home, 2020-24
$564,300
Ada County prices up 3.2% since 2022
Household income
$97,936
U.S.: $80,734
Prices, Boise City area
98.4
U.S. average = 100
Emergency room
7 miles
Nampa, ID
To Salt Lake City
309 mi
straight line

The book's checklist

  • Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 1.6% below the U.S. average in the Boise City metro area.
  • More house for the moneyA typical home costs 5.8 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
  • A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Star itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
  • Schools in town2 public schools: 1 elementary and 1 middle. No public high school in town: the nearest is Owyhee High School, about 5 miles away.
  • A hospital close bySaint Alphonsus Medical Center - Nampa in Nampa, about 7 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
  • Within reach of a big citySalt Lake City is about 309 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Star meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

Boom town. The population is up 82% since 2020. Growing fast, with rising home values. Watch for chain stores and big apartment complexes: the small-town feel may not last.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024
$564,300U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then
Up 3.2%Ada County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities
$1,924 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income
$97,936U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them
81%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill
$2,512 a yearIdaho: $2,038
Homes built before 1940
2%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010
52%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes
0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices
98.4U.S. average = 100 (the Boise City metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 3.2% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Boise City metro area, not Star alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate
20,8742020: 11,488
Median age
40.3 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older
22%U.S.: 17%
Under 18
25%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
35%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year
12%U.S.: 6%
College students
6%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work
Schools, health care and social services (23%); construction (14%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (13%)
Unemployment rate
7%U.S.: 5%
Average commute
28 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home
21%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line
6%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Saint Alphonsus Medical Center - Nampa, Nampa, ID, about 7 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

2 public schools in Star, run by Joint School District No. 2. The nearest public high school is Owyhee High School, about 5 miles away.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Idaho's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet
87%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription
95%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low
23°F
July average high
93°F
Days 90°F or hotter
59 a year
Nights at or below freezing
132 a year
Rain and melted snow
11 inches a year
Snow
10 inches a year
Elevation
2,470 feet

Weather station: Nampa Sugar Factory (8 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Saint Alphonsus Medical Center - Nampa, Meridian, Salt Lake City.

Ada County is in a metro area of 250,000 to 1 million people (USDA rural-urban code 2, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.

Read about Star's history on Wikipedia.

Know Star?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Smaller places

  • Avimor, ID (unincorporated)586 people, 12 miles
  • Notus, ID605 people, 15 miles

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
  2. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
  3. Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions)
  4. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
  6. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
  7. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal)
  8. National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024
  9. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
  10. U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
  11. National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
  12. National Park Service, park unit boundaries
  13. USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
  14. U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer files and 2020 urban areas

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.