Should I Move To
Roughly 56,582 people live in Pocatello, Idaho. Living here costs very affordable relative to the rest of the country, 17% below the national average. Median rent runs about $790/mo; the typical household pulls in $56,115. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 56/100 — a C, putting it at #266 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
By the composite index, Pocatello sits at 83 — very affordable when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($790/mo against $56,115 median household income), housing eats roughly 17% of a typical paycheck — comfortably under the 30% rule of thumb, which is unusual. Buying-side, the median home value is $206,200.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is four-season: roughly 90°F in summer, 26°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 16 inches. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving. AQI runs about 33 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Pocatello is workable — not standout, not weak. The profile-weighted score is 63/100 — a C+. Its standout dimension is affordability (93/100); the soft spot is job market (28/100).
For retirees, Pocatello is workable — not standout, not weak. The profile-weighted score is 66/100 — a B-. Its standout dimension is affordability (93/100); the soft spot is job market (28/100).
For remote workers, Pocatello is workable — not standout, not weak. The profile-weighted score is 71/100 — a B. Its standout dimension is affordability (93/100); the soft spot is job market (28/100).
For young professionals, Pocatello isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 55/100 — a C-. Its standout dimension is affordability (93/100); the soft spot is job market (28/100).
Our overall score for Pocatello is 56/100 — a C, sitting at #266 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Pocatello sits at 83 — very affordable, 17% below the national average. Median renter pays around $790 a month.
Pocatello runs four-season on the weather. Summer's near 90°F, winter's near 26°F; 16 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 67/100. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving.
Roughly 56,582 people live here, with 32% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 33.
Drop Pocatello into the comparison tool with any other US city and you'll get housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life data lined up side by side. Profile-specific leaderboards (families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals) are linked from the navigation.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Pocatello with other Idaho cities scored on UrbRank.
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