These Are The 10 Smartest Cities In Idaho

One of the many qualities that people look for in a potential location or company is the intelligence of those around them. This factor can play a huge role in oneâs experience at a particular company and can make or break an employeeâs time there.

So finding a city with an intelligent population makes sense for both companies and employees. Thatâs where Zippia comes in; to help you identify those places in Idaho that might have skipped a gradeâ¦or two.

You may be wondering how does one determine how intelligent a town really is?

Well we went to the source of all things demographic data â the Census â to figure out what criteria about a place would identify it is a smart cookie.

We set upon the percentage of adults (over 25) with at least a high school degree and the percentage of high school dropouts (aged 16-20) for the 32 largest cities in Idaho with data. We then crunched the numbers and were left with this set of the brightest cities in the Gem State:

Rexburg
Moscow
Eagle
Kuna
Boise City
Hayden
Pocatello
Meridian
Rathdrum
Star

Read on to see why these places got into a four-year college or skip to the end to see a full chart of all the places in our analysis.

For more ID reading, check out:

How we determined the smartest places in the Gem State

Before we could dive into the potential IQs of various places in Idaho, we needed to know which places to look at in the first place. We settled upon any place with over 5,000 people and data available for every criteria.

This left us with 32 places in Idaho.

We then looked at the following criteria to determine the cream from the crop when it comes to smarts:

Our data comes directly from the latest American Community Survey from the Census.

We thought this criteria was representative of the current state of smarts with the potential for a place to improve the education levels of the next generation. And itâs not like we are setting the education bar incredibly high â 80% of students graduate from high school nowadays.

In order to determine the smartest, we ranked all the cities for each criteria from one to 32 with one being the âsmartestâ in any category.

We took the average rank across all criteria, with the place posting the highest overall score being given the diploma for âSmartest City In Idahoâ.

If your city or town isnât among the top 10, jump down to the bottom of the post to see a detailed chart. Otherwise, learn more about how the top ten cities achieved their potential.

1. Rexburg

Population: 26,301
Adults Without High School Diploma: 1.9%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 0.2%

Graduating early with their diplomas held high are the citizens in Rexburg, Idaho. With a population of 26,301, an almost nonexistent high school dropout rate, and only 1.9% of the adult population without a high school diploma this town earned its #1 spot.

2. Moscow

Population: 24,406
Adults Without High School Diploma: 2.3%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 0.0%

Taking the bittersweet spot of #2 Moscow, Idaho has made the list with almost no high school dropouts and only 2.3% of the adult population missing a high school diploma.

3. Eagle

Population: 21,102
Adults Without High School Diploma: 3.6%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 1.7%

What is majestic like an eagle? The residents of Eagle, Idaho as they take the #3 spot on our smartest cities of Idaho list. Sporting a low dropout rate and over 21,000 residents the people here are some of the brightest bulbs in the box.

4. Kuna

Population: 16,188
Adults Without High School Diploma: 7.8%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 0.0%

It might sound like a vacation spot but Kuna is clearly a place of study. A town of 16,188 this area boasts almost no high school dropouts and a small population of 7.8% of adults without high school diplomas.

5. Boise City

Population: 211,655
Adults Without High School Diploma: 6.2%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 2.8%

Near the middle of our list sits Boise City. At 211,655 residents this big city is disproving the idea that metro areas are lacking education and opportunity. With a dropout rate of 2.8% and only 6.2% of the adult population lacking a high school diploma they are on the road to success.

6. Hayden

Population: 13,588
Adults Without High School Diploma: 8.0%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 0.0%

Sitting pretty at #6 is the town of Hayden. At a population of 13,588 and 8% of the adult population lacking a high school diploma the kids here are in study hall every day. Way to go!

7. Pocatello

Population: 54,466
Adults Without High School Diploma: 7.5%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 0.5%

Pocatello, Idaho has ranked #7 on our list with only 7.5% of the adult population lacking a high school diploma, little to no high school dropouts, and a population of around 54,466.

8. Meridian

Population: 81,025
Adults Without High School Diploma: 5.1%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 4.1%

The kids in Meridian are studying late every day since only 4.1% drop out of school and just over 5.1% of the adult population did not finish high school.

Smart cookies.

9. Rathdrum

Population: 7,046
Adults Without High School Diploma: 9.4%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 2.7%

Cutting it close is the town of Rathdrum, Idaho at #9. Sporting a population of 7,046 residents and high school dropout rate under 3% itâs no surprise this town made our smartest cities list.

10. Star

Population: 6,379
Adults Without High School Diploma: 6.7%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 5.0%

Rounding out our list is the city of Star. With a population hovering around the 6,300 mark and a high school dropout rate of only 5% the residents here are really reaching for the stars!

And thatâs how you graduate in style

That is our definitive ranking of the 10 Smartest Cities in Idaho. Here at Zippia we want to bring important information to our readers. Now you can make a more informed decision on your next visit to the Gem State. Be sure to visit these towns to see their intelligence first hand and experience it for yourself. And next time youâre looking for career advice head to zippia.com to have all of your quesitons answered.

Detailed List Of Smartest Cities In Idaho

City	Rank	Population	Adults Without High School Diploma	Teenage High School Dropouts
Rexburg	1	26,301	1.9%	0.2%
Moscow	2	24,406	2.3%	0.0%
Eagle	3	21,102	3.6%	1.7%
Kuna	4	16,188	7.8%	0.0%
Boise City	5	211,655	6.2%	2.8%
Hayden	6	13,588	8.0%	0.0%
Pocatello	7	54,466	7.5%	0.5%
Meridian	8	81,025	5.1%	4.1%
Rathdrum	9	7,046	9.4%	2.7%
Star	10	6,379	6.7%	5.0%
Preston	11	5,172	10.4%	0.0%
Chubbuck	12	14,117	7.4%	4.9%
Ammon	13	14,257	6.7%	5.1%
Post Falls	14	28,786	6.4%	7.5%
Middleton	15	5,898	11.3%	3.5%
Lewiston	16	32,178	9.5%	5.7%
Idaho Falls	17	57,935	9.8%	5.8%
Sandpoint	18	7,497	9.1%	7.3%
Coeur dâAlene	19	45,848	9.9%	6.5%
Twin Falls	20	45,362	13.7%	4.6%
Emmett	21	6,546	19.7%	0.2%
Garden City	22	11,223	10.6%	6.5%
Burley	23	10,352	22.8%	4.0%
Nampa	24	84,660	17.2%	7.5%
Blackfoot	25	11,891	14.3%	9.1%
Mountain Home	26	13,871	11.0%	30.0%
Weiser	27	5,407	24.0%	7.0%
Caldwell	28	48,114	19.8%	9.0%
Hailey	29	7,961	16.9%	18.0%
Rupert	30	5,583	29.4%	9.6%
Payette	31	7,447	21.3%	18.6%
Jerome	32	11,046	35.7%	17.9%