Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Pocatello grades B− overall, 33rd among Idaho's 58 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its public schools beat 77% of Idaho towns on state tests and graduation and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 79% of U.S. towns. It also does better than most on health: it is healthier than 64% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in safety: its crime rate is higher than 70% of U.S. towns, with 190 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. A typical home there costs about $340K, 5.1 years of the Pocatello metro’s $66K median household income. 52% of working residents work locally in Pocatello, against 20% in Idaho’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Standrod House and Pocatello Carnegie Library. Only 1 of the 43 Idaho towns we compare have a higher property crime rate than Pocatello.
Where Pocatello beats most towns.
Standrod House| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Hills Elementary School | K–5 | 497 |
| Claude A Wilcox Elementary School | K–5 | 464 |
| Gate City Elementary School | K–5 | 425 |
Its 23 National Register listings are more than in 92% of Idaho towns with a listing.
Census counts: 4,046 in 1900, 56,320 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1868 and 3 maps from 1937 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Idaho), ordered by how far Pocatello is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pocatello, 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 Pocatello.
Pocatello is healthier than towns with similar incomes and is safe by national standards but not by Idaho’s.
49 miles of trail in 37 parks and preserves. The trail density in Pocatello is 1.4 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Sacajawea Park, at 47 acres.
| Pocatello | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.4 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.5% | 2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sacajawea Park | 0.3 mi | 47 |
| 2. Sister City Park | — | 41 |
| 3. O.K. Ward Park | — | 40 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Pocatello District. Three of its 25 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 718 | A− |
| Highland High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,456 | B+ |
| Edahow Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 258 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ID on state tests and graduation
The typical Pocatello home is worth about $340,000, up 1.7% in a year, 29% below the Idaho typical home. Pocatello’s median rent is $948 a month.
| Pocatello | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 65% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $948 a month | $1,125 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
At 28.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 95% of Idaho’s graded towns. Property crime runs at 14.1 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Idaho rate, most of it theft.
Pocatello reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 70% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Pocatello has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 19° and about 64 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 66% of U.S. communities. Since 2013, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Pocatello.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 9,042 U.S. towns with household incomes like Pocatello’s, it is healthier than 89%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
26% of Pocatello adults have been diagnosed with depression. Pocatello beats the Idaho average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 74% of Pocatello adults had a checkup this year.
| Pocatello | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 23% | 23% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 73% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 31% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 10% | 12% |
| What stands out | Pocatello | ID |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.3% | 8.3% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 8.4% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
15% of residents live below the poverty line in Pocatello. Jobs based in Pocatello grew to 25,431 in 2023, 2,216 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Chubbuck (9%), Idaho Falls (8%) and Boise City (3%).
| Pocatello | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 28% of residents (23% statewide). Pocatello has grown 3.6% since 2020, to 58,771 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 33% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Idaho.
| Pocatello | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 33.1 years | 35.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 16% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 25% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 24% | 25% | 22% |
48.8% women, 51.2% men
About 105 men for every 100 women. Across Idaho, 49.7% of residents are women. Median age: women 33.9, men 32.7.
| Pocatello | ID | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.1% | 12.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.4% | 11.6% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11.9% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.1% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.8% | 13.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.1% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.9% | 11.7% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.9% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.9% | 6.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.4% | 8.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.2% | 26.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.6% | 24.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.2% | 9.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.6% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.1% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Pocatello. Close and well known come first.
32 mi National PreserveCraters of the Moon National Preserve251K visitors a year
14 mi Ancient siteFort Hall
26 mi State parkMassacre Rocks State Park17 mi Ski areaPebble Creek58 runs · 2,133 ft verticalin town Zoo & aquariumZoo Idaho
in town MuseumIdaho Museum of Natural HistoryCraters of the Moon National Preserve: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Hall: National Park Service photographer, Public domain · Massacre Rocks State Park: Matthew Trump, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Idaho Museum of Natural History: Abbaby, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Pocatello
About 11 of every 100 Pocatello residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Idaho.
23 places in Pocatello on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in the United States
Pocatello ( ) is the county seat of and the largest city in Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, containing the city's airport. It is the principal city of the Pocatello metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Bannock County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, the population of Pocatello was 56,320. Pocatello is the 6th most populous city in the state, just behind Caldwell. The city is at an elevation of 4,462 feet (1,360 m) above sea level and it sits on the Portneuf River in the Snake River Plain ecoregion. Pocatello covers a land area of 33.36 square miles (86.4 square kilometers)…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Pocatello.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Pocatello grades B− overall, better than 50% of U.S. towns and #33 of 58 in Idaho. It grades B for health, C for safety and A− for schools.
Idaho has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Pocatello sits nearer the middle.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
