The book's checklist
- Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 8.4% below the U.S. average in the parts of Wyoming outside metro areas.
- 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 Valley Ranch 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 townNo public schools inside the town. The nearest high school is Star Valley High School, about 17 miles away.
- A hospital close byStar Valley Medical Center in Afton, about 18 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
- Within reach of a big citySalt Lake City is about 160 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 Valley Ranch 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 11% 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
- $561,700U.S.: $332,700
- Home prices since then
- Up 18%Lincoln County, 2022 to 2025
- Typical rent, with utilities
- $1,955 a monthU.S.: $1,413
- Typical household income
- $96,071U.S.: $80,734
- Homes owned by the people living in them
- 90%U.S.: 65%
- Typical property tax bill
- $2,456 a yearWyoming: $1,767
- Homes built before 1940
- 0%U.S.: 12%
- Homes built since 2010
- 7%U.S.: 11%
- Vacation and seasonal homes
- 17%U.S.: 3%
- Everyday prices
- 91.6U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Wyoming outside metro areas)
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 18% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Wyoming outside metro areas, not Star Valley Ranch 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
- 2,0742020: 1,874
- Median age
- 53.3 yearsU.S.: 38.9
- Age 65 and older
- 34%U.S.: 17%
- Under 18
- 19%U.S.: 22%
- Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
- 36%U.S.: 36%
- Moved here from another county or state in the past year
- 9%U.S.: 6%
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
- Construction (20%); schools, health care and social services (18%); government (12%)
- Unemployment rate
- 1%U.S.: 5%
- Work from home
- 23%U.S.: 15%
- Below the poverty line
- 2%U.S.: 12%
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
Health care
Nearest emergency room: Star Valley Medical Center, Afton, WY, about 18 miles away. It's a critical access hospital (a small rural hospital with 25 or fewer beds). Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.
Nearest general hospital: St. Johns Medical Center, Jackson, WY, about 35 miles away. Medicare gives it 5 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
There are no public schools inside Star Valley Ranch itself. The nearest public high school is Star Valley High School, about 17 miles away.
See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Wyoming'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
- 71%U.S.: 76%
- Homes with any internet subscription
- 92%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
- 6°F
- July average high
- 80°F
- Days 90°F or hotter
- 2 a year
- Nights at or below freezing
- 238 a year
- Rain and melted snow
- 17.7 inches a year
- Snow
- 88 inches a year
- Elevation
- 6,269 feet
Weather stations: Bedford 3 SE (8 miles away) and Afton (17 miles away, rain and snow). 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: Star Valley Medical Center, Idaho Falls, Salt Lake City.
Lincoln County is outside any metro area, with fewer than 5,000 people in its towns, not next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 9, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).
For a day
National Park Service sites within about an hour:
- Grand Teton National Park40 miles
Read about Star Valley Ranch's history on Wikipedia.
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
- Alpine, WY1,400 people, 14 miles
- Afton, WY2,300 people, 18 miles
- Jackson, WY10,700 people, 35 miles
- Soda Springs, ID3,200 people, 39 miles
- Victor, ID2,600 people, 44 miles
- Montpelier, ID2,700 people, 48 miles
Smaller places
- Thayne, WY436 people, 4 miles
- Bedford, WY (unincorporated)482 people, 6 miles
- Nordic, WY (unincorporated)238 people, 7 miles
- Turnerville, WY (unincorporated)463 people, 9 miles
- Grover, WY (unincorporated)929 people, 12 miles
- Auburn, WY (unincorporated)284 people, 13 miles
- Alpine Northwest, WY (unincorporated)142 people, 15 miles
- Alpine Northeast, WY (unincorporated)355 people, 15 miles
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
- 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
- FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
- 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
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
- U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
- National Park Service, park unit boundaries
- USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
- 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.