Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 20,874, settled in 1880. Public schools that outperform most of Idaho.
Star grades B− overall, ranked 29th of 58 in Idaho, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools outperform 84% of the state's and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 78% of the country. On the other side, homes are expensive, about $583K for a typical one and 6.8 times the Boise City metro’s $86K median household income. Star’s trail density is 1.2 miles per square mile, above both the Idaho town median (0.8) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Among 59 Idaho towns, just 3 have a higher share of workers working from home than Star. Star Camp is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Star beats most towns.
5,793 counted in 2010 and 11,117 in 2020; an estimated 20,874 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 84.6% since 2020, after 91.9% 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 Star is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,795 in 2000, 11,117 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2019 and 2 maps from 1953 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Star. Close and well known come first.
16 mi Stadium & arenaAlbertsons Stadium
18 mi MuseumOld Idaho State Penitentiary
16 mi Stadium & arenaExtraMile Arena
16 mi Stadium & arenaIdaho Central Arena21 mi Ski areaBogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area117 runs · 1,792 ft vertical
28 mi LandmarkFort BoiseAlbertsons Stadium: Iamneven, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Old Idaho State Penitentiary: Peter Wollheim, CC BY 2.5 · ExtraMile Arena: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 · Idaho Central Arena: mark6mauno, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Fort Boise: Sketch by William H. Tappan, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Star, 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 Star.
Star has schools in the top 5% of Idaho, has less tooth loss than most of Idaho and has home values still below their peak.
Its A− ranks #2 of the 59 Idaho towns we grade for schools. Its A− for schools comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $583K.
Its public schools are run by the Joint School District No. 2. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Star Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,013 | A− |
| Star Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 727 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ID on state tests and graduation
14 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. Only 5 of the 56 Idaho towns we compare have a lower share of conserved land than Star.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hunters Creek Sports Complex | 0.5 mi | 16 |
| 2. Blake Haven Park | 0.2 mi | 4 |
| 3. Pavillion Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Idaho is tooth loss: 8.3% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 16.2% statewide.
27% of Star adults feel lonely, where Idaho’s towns sit at 30% and U.S. towns at 33%. 30% of Star adults sleep under 7 hours. Star beats the Idaho average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3.
| Star | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 23% | 25% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 23% | 23% |
| What stands out | Star | ID |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.3% | 16.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.8% | 10.7% |
| More adults with arthritis | 30% | 26.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here grew from 587 in 2013 to 1,902.
Most working residents leave Star for work: only 6% work in town. The average trip to work in Star is 28 minutes. Since 2013, Star has added 1,315 jobs, to 1,902 in 2023.
| Star | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.3% | 23% | 8% |
| Median household income | $98,000 | $67,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.8% | 12% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 71% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Star since 2017.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical value, about $583K, is 12% below its June 2022 peak.
Star’s median rent is $1,924 a month. The typical Star home is worth about $583,000, about the same as a year ago, 22% above the Idaho typical home. 81% of households own their home in Star.
| Star | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,924 a month | $1,109 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 81% | 69% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Star has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 93°, January nights drop to 24° and about 7 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 22% of residents (17% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (23% statewide). Star has grown 85% since 2020, to 20,874 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 35% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Idaho.
| Star | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 16% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 25% | 29% |
| Median age | 40.3 years | 35.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 25% | 25% | 22% |
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.4 points. Across Idaho, 49.7% of residents are women.
| Star | ID | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.5% | 12.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.1% | 11.6% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.9% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.2% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.3% | 13.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.9% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.3% | 11.7% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.4% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.4% | 6.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.4% | 8.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.2% | 26.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 31.7% | 24.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.9% | 9.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.9% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
6 within 15 miles of the center of Star
About 6 of every 100 Star residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Idaho.
Where Star’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Idaho, United States
Star is a city in northwestern Ada County, Idaho, with parts stretching into neighboring Canyon County. The population was 11,117 at the 2020 census, up from 5,793 in 2010. It was named in the 19th century by travelers on their way to Middleton and Boise who used the star on the school house to find east and west. The name stuck and it became Star, Idaho. Today, it is a rapidly growing suburb of Boise and its schools are shared with Middleton School District and West Ada School District. Star is part of the Boise metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Star.
Star and Eagle report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Star with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Star grades B− overall, better than 53% of U.S. towns and #29 of 58 in Idaho. It grades A− for health and A− for schools. Cost of living 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−.
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