What it's like to live in Star
Star is a small city in Idaho with county unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, and a population that has grown fast since 2020. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Star deals with home prices well above the national average, larger class sizes than the national average, cold winters, and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.
The good
- Low unemployment in the county
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Fast-growing population
The not so good
- High home prices
- High student-teacher ratio
- Cold winters
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Star compares
Median household income
Median home value
What it takes to move to Star
Based on Star's median rent, home value and household income
To buy
$112,860
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $56,430
- Homes cost 5.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Job market
3.3% county unemployment
Unemployment in Ada County is 3.3%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Ada County (county-wide)
Safety
144 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Star doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Ada County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 326/100k · Policed by Ada County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
28 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 27.5 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 21% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 89°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 24°F and snow a regular occurrence. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforceNear US average
35% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 35% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
2 public schools inside the boundary
There are 2 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 21:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument (100 miles away).
Bottom line
Star's strongest points are county unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are home prices well above the national average and cold winters. It tends to suit job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low) and remote workers (21% of workers here already work from home).
Other places near Star
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