Where Garden Valley earns its living
The average commute takes 19 minutes each way; Idaho averages 22, the U.S. 26. Only 6% work in Garden Valley itself; outside it, Boise City draws the most (25%, 36 miles). Working from home is the commute for 6% of workers, next to 13% for Idaho as a whole.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The daily flow of workers through Garden Valley
On a workday 140 residents head out to work, 9 work right here, and 92 people come in from elsewhere.
About 390 people are in Garden Valley on a workday afternoon, 11% fewer than live here.
0.68 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Where Garden Valley goes to work
Where Garden Valley clocks in
25% of workers
7% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
What work there is in Garden Valley: 101 jobs
101 jobs are based in Garden Valley.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Garden Valley, 2014 → 2024: 13 → 101. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Garden Valley’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Garden Valley: about 19 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Garden Valley workers work from home, vs 13% across Idaho. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 205 commuters (the 6% who work from home are left out). Across Idaho: 84% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
The distance from Garden Valley to work
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
How Garden Valley compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Crouch (4%).
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Garden Valley workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garden Valley | – | — | — | 19 min | — |
| Crouch | 4% | — | — | 17 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Crouch: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Garden Valley’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Garden Valley: questions
What is the poverty rate in Garden Valley?
11.2%, against 10.6% across Idaho and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Garden Valley?
19 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Idaho and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Garden Valley work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Boise City (25%, 36 mi), Nampa (7%, 46 mi), Meridian (7%, 39 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Garden Valley without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Garden Valley, from the people who make the trip.
More of Garden Valley
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer.