Ideal CityOpen the map

Ada County vs Canyon County

Ada County, Idaho versus Canyon County, Idaho: a factual, side-by-side comparison of cost of living, housing, safety, schools, and climate. Greener figures rank better among US counties.

Overall livability

Ada County

Mixed · objective livability50/100

Canyon County

Solid · objective livability51/100

Ada County and Canyon County score about the same overall (50 vs 51 of 100) — the differences are in the individual factors below.

Factor-by-factor comparison

FactorAda CountyCanyon County
Affordability
Median Household Income$84k$68k
Cost of Living$58k$53k
Home Value$424k$306k
Monthly Rent$1k$1k
Monthly Owner Costs$2k$1k
Property Tax Rate0.59%0.61%
Income Tax5.80%5.80%
Sales Tax6.03%6.03%
Estimated total tax burden10.78%10.54%
Unemployment3.2%3.5%
Weather
Winter Temp (Jan)32°F31°F
Summer Temp (Jul)77°F76°F
Annual Precipitation13.1 in11.2 in
Annual Snowfall19.1 in9.6 in
Sunny Days268 days268 days
Summer Humidity43°F43°F
Comfortable Days61 days53 days
Safety & Wellbeing
Natural Disaster Risk87.871.7
Air Quality44 AQI34 AQI
School Quality26.828.1
Violent Crime882/100k1070/100k
Property Crime826/100k1124/100k
Community
Population497,494235,006
Median Age38.134.4
Racial Diversity0.250.39
Male/Female Ratio1.021.00
Political LeaningEvenR+41
White (%)82.7%68.3%
Black (%)1.2%0.6%
Hispanic (%)8.9%25.7%
Asian (%)2.5%0.7%
Other / Multiracial (%)4.7%4.7%
Getting Around
Commute Time21 min25 min
Walkability10.7/209.2/20
Airport Distance7 mi26 mi
Lifestyle & Connectivity
Broadband Access93.3%91.7%
Amenities Nearby0.040.85
Park & Nature AccessModerateLimited

Each figure is colored by how it ranks among all US counties: green is strong, amber average, red weaker. Neutral factors (population, demographics, target-style climate) show their percentile without a better/worse claim.

Frequently asked questions

Is Ada County or Canyon County more affordable?
Canyon County has the lower cost of living: its index is $53k, compared with Ada County's $58k and Canyon County's $53k. Median rent is $1k in Ada County versus $1k in Canyon County.
Is Ada County or Canyon County safer?
Ada County has the lower violent crime rate. Ada County reports 882/100k and Canyon County reports 1070/100k (violent crimes per 100,000 residents).
Are homes cheaper in Ada County or Canyon County?
The median home value is $424k in Ada County and $306k in Canyon County, so homes are more affordable in Canyon County.
See each on the map

Explore Ada County →Explore Canyon County →

Full profiles