Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Moscow grades B+ overall, ranked 17th of 58 in Idaho. Natural-hazard risk is low. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 84% of the country and its schools rank ahead of 80% of Idaho towns. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $481K, 7.4 years of the Moscow area’s $65K median household income. 49% of working residents work locally in Moscow, against 20% in Idaho’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Moscow Post Office and Courthouse and W. J. McConnell House. Moscow's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 90% of U.S. towns.
Where Moscow beats most towns.
Moscow Post Office and Courthouse
Census counts: 76 in 1880, 25,435 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1905 and a map from 1955 on.
22 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Idaho), ordered by how far Moscow is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Moscow, 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 Moscow.
Moscow carries less natural-hazard risk than most of Idaho (mostly inland flooding), is shaped by its college students and has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns.
Its public schools are run by the Moscow District. Three of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moscow Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 500 | B+ |
| Moscow High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 760 | A |
| A B McDonald Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 341 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ID on state tests and graduation
Against the 8,036 U.S. towns with household incomes like Moscow’s, it is healthier than 99%, so its A− isn’t only a matter of income. Its widest gap with Idaho is diabetes: 6.3% of its 20,969 adults have diabetes, against 10.1% statewide.
24% of adults have high blood pressure in Moscow. Moscow beats the Idaho average on 14 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 6.3% of adults have diabetes in Moscow.
| Moscow | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 31% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 6.3% | 10% | 12% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 73% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 16% |
| What stands out | Moscow | ID |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 6.3% | 10.1% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4% | 6.2% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 9.1% | 7.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 76% of Idaho towns, with expected losses of about $34 per resident a year; that rating is what its A+ for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Moscow is 12 of 100. Since 1996, 41 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Moscow.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
7.2 miles of trail in 20 parks and preserves. Moscow’s trail density is 1.0 miles per square mile. UI Arboretum and Botanical Garden, at 44 acres with 2.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Moscow | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.6% | 2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. UI Arboretum and Botanical Garden | 2.5 mi | 44 |
| 2. PCEI Nature Center | 2.2 mi | 27 |
| 3. Mountain View Park | — | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Moscow U Of I weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 85 days, shorter than in 100% of U.S. towns.
Moscow has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 25° and about 51 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Reported crimes fell from 394 to 312 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 9 reported in 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
Only 3 of the 43 Idaho towns we compare have a lower violent crime rate than Moscow.
| Moscow | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.1 per 1,000 residents | 6.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The average commute for its 10,004 working residents takes 14.3 minutes, against 21.6 across Idaho.
25% of Moscow residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Moscow grew to 11,059 in 2023, 1,254 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Pullman (18%), Lewiston (4%) and Boise City (3%).
| Moscow | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 25% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 7.4 years of the Moscow area’s $65K median household income, the typical home (about $481K) costs more against local pay than in 82% of Idaho towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
3 within 15 miles of the center of Moscow
College town 34 of every 100 Moscow residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Idaho.
2 colleges in town.
22 places in Moscow on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in northern Idaho, United States
Moscow ( MOSS-koh) is a city in and the county seat of Latah County, Idaho, United States. Located in the North Central region of the state along the border with Washington, it had a population of 25,435 at the 2020 United States census. Moscow is the home of the University of Idaho, the state's land-grant institution and primary research university. It is the principal city in the Moscow, Idaho Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Latah County. The city contains over 60% of the county's population, and the university is Moscow's dominant employer, the city also serves as an agricultural and commercial hub for the Palouse region. Along with the rest of the Idaho Panhandle, M…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Moscow grades B+ overall, better than 70% of U.S. towns and #17 of 58 in Idaho. It grades A− for health, B+ for safety and A− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
