Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,133, established in 1889. 6.2 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Idaho town.
Trash & recyclingMcCall grades C+ overall, ranked 41st of 58 in Idaho, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools outperform 91% of the state's and it has 20 miles of trail. On the other side, FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 87% of U.S. communities, with wildfire at the top. 51% of working residents work locally in McCall, above both the Idaho town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). On cost of living, just 3 of Idaho’s 94 towns do worse. McCall's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 100% of U.S. towns.
Where McCall beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Barbara R Morgan Elementary | PK–5 | 411 |
| Payette Lakes Middle School | 6–8 | 331 |
| McCall-Donnelly High School | 9–12 | 447 |
2,991 counted in 2010 and 3,686 in 2020; an estimated 4,133 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 12.4% since 2020, after 23.2% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Idaho), ordered by how far McCall is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 307 in 1920, 3,686 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1973 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in McCall, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in McCall.
McCall has schools in the top 5% of Idaho and is safe by national standards but not by Idaho’s; it also carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Idaho (mostly wildfires).
20 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. The trail density in McCall is 2.0 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Ponderosa State Park, 241 acres with 2.4 miles of trail.
| McCall | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.0 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7% | 2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ponderosa State Park | 2.4 mi | 241 |
| 2. Riverfront Park | 0.1 mi | 31 |
| 3. Legacy Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A ranks #1 of the 59 Idaho towns we grade for schools. Its A for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $796K.
Its public schools are run by the McCall-Donnelly Joint School District. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is McCall-Donnelly High School, with 447 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbara R Morgan ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 411 | A |
| McCall-Donnelly High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 447 | A+ |
| Payette Lakes Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 331 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ID on state tests and graduation
At 10.5 years of the county’s $76K median household income, the typical home (about $796K) costs more against local pay than in 98% of Idaho towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The typical value, about $796K, is 8% below its June 2022 peak.
The typical McCall home is worth about $796,000, up 3.1% in a year, 67% above the Idaho typical home.
| McCall | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 71% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,134 a month | $1,109 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2,693 jobs are based in McCall, 2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 10.5 minutes, against 21.6 across Idaho.
McCall’s average trip to work is 11 minutes. Since 2013, McCall has added 561 jobs, to 2,693 in 2023. 16% of McCall residents live below the poverty line.
| McCall | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 11 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 95% of Idaho towns; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Only 3 of the 59 Idaho towns we compare have a higher FEMA risk score than McCall.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 8,993 U.S. towns with household incomes like McCall’s, it is healthier than 94%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
McCall beats the Idaho average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 26% of adults feel lonely in McCall. Among 59 Idaho towns, just 5 have a lower share of adults who report frequent mental distress than McCall.
| McCall | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 30% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 73% | 79% |
| What stands out | McCall | ID |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 75.6% | 70.5% |
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 84.8% | 81.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Mccall weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 72 days, shorter than in 100% of U.S. towns. The Mccall weather station records that 132 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 99% of U.S. towns.
Among 59 Idaho towns, just 1 have a lower July high than McCall. McCall has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 22.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 82% of Idaho’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of McCall; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 McCall residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Idaho.
Where McCall’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
9 places in McCall on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in McCall.
City in Idaho, United States
McCall is a resort town on the western edge of Valley County, Idaho, United States. Named after its founder, Tom McCall, it is situated on the southern shore of Payette Lake, near the center of the Payette National Forest. The population was 3,686 as of the 2020 census, up from 2,991 in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
McCall grades C+ overall, better than 36% of U.S. towns and #41 of 58 in Idaho. It grades B+ for health, C+ for safety and A for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Idaho has less crime than most states, so among its own towns McCall sits nearer the middle.
Yes. That is 10.5 years of the area's median household income ($76,078 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
5 notable people were born here, including Scott Patterson and Caitlin Patterson.
