Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Preston gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $429K for a typical one, or 5.3 years of the Logan metro’s $81K median household income. It grades B+ overall, 11th of 58 graded towns in Idaho. On the plus side, crime is low: it reports less per resident than 82% of U.S. towns. 30% of working residents work locally in Preston, where Idaho’s towns sit at 20% and U.S. towns at 8%. Preston has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Bear River Battleground and Oneida Stake Academy. Preston is more walkable than 74% of U.S. towns.
Where Preston beats most towns.
Bear River BattlegroundEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Idaho), ordered by how far Preston is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Bear River Battleground is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 49 in 1880, 5,591 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1915 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Preston, 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 Preston.
Preston sends many workers across the state line to Logan, fares better on crime within Idaho than nationally and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
At 7.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 95% of Idaho’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 4 reported in 2025, 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
Preston’s violent crime rate is 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Preston | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.6 per 1,000 residents | 6.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Preston Joint District.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preston Jr. High SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 540 | C+ |
| Preston High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 679 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ID on state tests and graduation
Against the 9,184 U.S. towns with household incomes like Preston’s, it is healthier than 92%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Preston tracks Idaho closely on all 32 CDC measures. 72% of adults had a checkup this year in Preston.
| Preston | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 73% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.6% | 10% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 34% | 36% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 71% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Preston since 2006.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Preston has cold, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. The July high in Preston is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
37% of working residents cross a state line to work, Logan among the top destinations. Preston has about as many jobs (2,358) as working residents, but only 687 people both live and work here.
About one in 3 of Preston’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Preston has added 447 jobs, to 2,358 in 2023. The top destinations are Logan (11%), North Logan (3%) and Boise City (3%).
| Preston | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $61,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
3.5 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Only 2 of the 56 Idaho towns we compare have a lower share of conserved land than Preston.
| Preston | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.5% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Craner Recreational Complex | — | 4 |
| 2. Benson Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Preston home is worth about $429,000, up 2.2% in a year, 10% below the Idaho typical home.
| Preston | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $811 a month | $1,125 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 70% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Preston; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Preston residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Idaho.
5 places in Preston on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Preston.
City in Idaho, United States
Preston is a city in Franklin County, Idaho, United States. The population was 5,591 at the 2020 census, up from 5,204 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Franklin County. It is part of the Logan metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Preston grades B+ overall, better than 75% of U.S. towns and #11 of 58 in Idaho. It grades B+ for health, A− for safety and B− for schools.
8 notable people were born here, including Matthew Cowley and Allan Larsen.
