Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in just over four fifths of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in Downey, 52% come from wildfires and 25% from inland flooding.

82risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

WildfireInland floodingCold waves

Full pageDowney’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesVery high risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters3 disaster declarations · Declared for the county Get readyReady for wildfire

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Schools

The schools Downey’s kids attend

Its public schools are run by the Marsh Valley Joint District. Downey’s only public school teaches 75 students.

School	Level	Students	Letter
Downey Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6	Grades PK–6	75	B

Full pageDowney’s schools pageOpen the page

The districtsMARSH VALLEY JOINT DISTRICT Every school1 school · Downey Elementary School Questions“Are Downey’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts

Work & commute

With 0.6 jobs for every working resident, most of Downey’s workers commute out

For Downey, the middle household income is $57,000. Just 3% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. Also worth knowing: 16% of residents live below the poverty line here, against 12% in Idaho’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in the town rose by 22, to 99.

3%work in town

	Downey	Idaho towns	U.S. towns
Working residents who work in town	2.9%	22%	8%
Below the poverty line	16%	12%	9.6%
Average trip to work	26 minutes	20 minutes	25 minutes
Median household income	$57,000	$67,000	$80,000

Where working residents work

In Downey3%

Pocatello19%

McCammon11%

Idaho Falls9%

Lava Hot Springs7%

34 mi

median commute distance

jobs based in Downey

A commuter town

jobs vs. working residents

Full pageDowney’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here99 jobs based here · A commuter town Where people work3% work in Downey Commute times26 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 34 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Housing

A typical Downey home is worth about $328K

Among 60 Idaho towns, just 4 have a higher share of homes lived in by their owners than Downey. Its going rate for rent stands at $865 a month. Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 4% in value.

$328KZillow home value

	Downey	Idaho towns	U.S. towns
Households that own their home	85%	70%	73%
Median rent	$865 a month	$1,117 a month	$1,185 a month

Typical home value

Downey$328K

Idaho$477K

+4%

value change, 1 year

homes sold in May

Full pageDowney’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsUp 4% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 5.8 years of income Rents$865 a month · Median rent

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Climate

In Downey, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers

In July, afternoons reach 88°; in January, nights fall to 14°, and about 45 inches of snow falls in a winter.

45″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter15–34°

Spring31–57°

Summer48–84°

Fall32–61°

Sep 18

typical first frost

May 31

typical last frost

+1.4°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageDowney’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 88°, January lows 14°Rain & snow45″ of snow a winter · 16 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.4° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Who lives here

Fewer adults under 35 in Downey than across Idaho

Just over a fifth of residents are 65 or older in Downey, above both the Idaho town median (16%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). Adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (23% statewide); children under 18 are 30% of residents (24% statewide). The Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate puts Downey at 583 residents, up 3.4% since 2020. Idaho has 32% of adults 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more; here it is 23%.

36.5median age · ID 37.3

	Downey	Idaho towns	U.S. towns
Under 18	30%	25%	22%
Aged 65 or older	22%	16%	18%
Median age	36.5 years	35.1 years	40.5 years
Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+	23%	25%	29%

DowneyIdahoUnited States

IDU.S.

Ages · share of residents

19%

Education · adults 25 and older

No diploma13%

High school27%

Some college21%

Associate’s15%

Bachelor’s18%

Graduate5%

Women and men · all residents

48% women, 52% men

That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.4 points. Across Idaho, 49.7% of residents are women.

Ages and education in Downey
	Downey	ID	U.S.
Under 10	18.6%	12.5%	11.6%
10 to 17	11.1%	11.6%	10.3%
18 to 24	4%	9.8%	9.1%
25 to 34	12.7%	13%	13.7%
35 to 44	15.3%	13.1%	13.2%
45 to 54	4.1%	11.3%	12.2%
55 to 64	12.2%	11.7%	12.7%
65 to 74	11.5%	10.4%	10.2%
75 and older	10.6%	6.6%	7%
No diploma	13.3%	8.1%	10.4%
High school	27.4%	26.1%	26%
Some college	21%	24.2%	19.1%
Associate’s	15%	9.7%	8.8%
Bachelor’s	18.4%	21.3%	21.6%
Graduate	4.9%	10.5%	14.1%

Full pageDowney by the numbersOpen the page

Ages36.5 median age · 22% are 65 or older Schooling23% have a four-year degree Homes85% own their home · Homeowners Income$57K a year · Median household income

Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 600, single groups can be off by several points

Health

A smaller share of adults in Downey binge drink than in the typical Idaho or U.S. town

For adults in Downey, the share who report frequent physical distress is 16%. Among 60 Idaho towns, just one has a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Downey. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Downey is ahead of Idaho on 6 and behind on 9.

	Downey	Idaho towns	U.S. towns
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)	13%	15%	16%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)	39%	31%	35%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)	16%	14%	14%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)	15%	17%	17%

32 measures vs. Idaho

6 better17 too close to call9 worse

What stands out	Downey	ID
Fewer uninsured adults	8.3%	10.7%
Fewer binge drinkers	12.5%	15.5%
More adults with heart disease	8.4%	6.2%

Nell J Redfield Memorial Hospital

17.8 mi away · emergency room

3 of 3

care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

Full pageDowney’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsFewer binge drinkers Hospitals & doctors nearby17.8 miles to an ER · Nell J Redfield Memorial Hospital How adults are doingMore adults in frequent physical distress Every CDC estimateBetter than ID on 6 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Downey

18pages on Downey

The big questions

Schools1 school HealthBetter than ID on 6 of 32 CDC measures Cost of living$328K typical home · up 4% in a year Work & commute$57K median household income · 99 jobs here Natural hazardsFEMA risk higher than 82% of U.S. communities · wildfire

Out and about

PlacesAttractions13 nearby · Pebble Creek 24 mi LibrarySouth Bannock District Colleges

The story

HistorySettled 1894 Famous people1 born in Downey Town Hall & politicsOne full-time town employee per 292 residents Climate88° summer highs · 45″ of snow

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookZIP code 83234 Town SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Downey; the nearest are

Idaho State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Pocatello33.9 mi$8,610 in-state tuition College of Eastern IdahoCommunity college · Public · Idaho Falls73.4 mi$3,390 in-state tuition

About 2 of every 100 Downey residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Idaho.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

A commuter town

97% of working residents leave Downey for work

Where Downey’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

99jobs based in Downey

3%of working residents work in town

34 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Downey

City in Bannock County, Idaho, United States

Official town website ↗

Downey is a city in the Marsh Valley in southern Bannock County, Idaho, United States. It is part of the Pocatello Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 571 at the 2020 census. The community was reportedly named after one Mr. Downey, a director of the Union Pacific Railroad. However, researchers have been unable to verify the existence of said Mr. Downey. Notwithstanding, some have asserted he was a track worker, not a director.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area: 1.0 sq mi
Elevation: 4,865 ft
ZIP code: 83234
Area code: 208

Questions about Downey

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Downey, ID a good place to live?

Downey has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

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Is Downey a good place to live?

583 people, and everyone knows the way

132 years in pictures

Moving to Downey: who provides what

The data

Downey faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by wildfire