Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Shoshone’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living and an A− for history; its weakest is a D for hazard risk. Shoshone’s average trip to work is 38 minutes, against 20 minutes in Idaho’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. On cost of living, just 4 of Idaho’s 94 towns do better. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 68% of U.S. towns. Shoshone’s trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile, where Idaho’s towns sit at 0.8 and U.S. towns at 0.4. On history, just 2 of Idaho’s 94 towns do better. Shoshone has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Shoshone beats most towns.
A. G. Newman House
Census counts: 1,155 in 1910, 1,653 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1910 and a map from 1971 on.
12 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Idaho), ordered by how far Shoshone is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Shoshone, 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 Shoshone.
Its public schools are run by the Shoshone Joint District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shoshone Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 234 | C− |
| Shoshone High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 143 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ID on state tests and graduation
The typical Shoshone home is worth about $307,000, up 3.1% in a year, 36% below the Idaho typical home.
| Shoshone | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 77% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,031 a month | $1,117 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 80% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Shoshone since 2012.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Shoshone has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Shoshone’s July high is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Shoshone for work: only 10% work in town. Since 2013, Shoshone has added 56 jobs, to 660 in 2023. The top destinations are Twin Falls (9%), Ketchum (9%) and Hailey (7%).
| Shoshone | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 22% | 8% |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $67,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Shoshone beats the Idaho average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 20% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Shoshone. Only 4 of the 60 Idaho towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Shoshone.
| Shoshone | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 11% | 8.1% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 73% | 79% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 23% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Shoshone | ID |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 19.8% | 10.7% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 19.1% | 12.8% |
| More adults facing housing insecurity | 15.3% | 10.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1.5 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Only 2 of the 57 Idaho towns we compare have a lower share of conserved land than Shoshone.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mary L Gooding Memorial Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Shoshone; the nearest are
About 13 of every 100 Shoshone residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Idaho.
1,461 counted in 2010 and 1,653 in 2020; an estimated 1,767 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
12 places in Shoshone on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Idaho, United States
Shoshone ( shoh-SHOHN) is the county seat of and the largest city in Lincoln County, Idaho, United States. The population was 1,653 at the 2020 census. In contrast to the Shoshone Native American tribe for which it is named, the city's name is correctly pronounced "Show-shown", with a silent "e".
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
2 notable people were born here, including Talbot Jennings and Jack M. Murphy.
