Idaho Ranks Second In The Best State To Live In

For those who've lived in Idaho for months or years, they're not surprised how quickly the state continues to grow and grow. For many years, the Gem State was the toast of the nation, attracting thousands of new Idahoans along with national and international media coverage.

The Biden inflation slowed the growth of Idaho, but not its appeal to the rest of the country. A new study released by WalletHub ranks the Gem State as the second-best state to live in America. Although being number two in the country is excellent, have you read who was number one? It's not California but Massachusetts?

If you've ever been to Massachusetts, you wouldn't confuse it with our great state. The Bay State is home to high taxation liberal policies; in other words, it's the East Coast California.

Let's get back to Idaho's big win and how we're back in the national spotlight.

Idaho is the second-best state to live in, boasting one of the lowest median real estate tax rates in the country, at just 0.5%, along with the seventh-highest homeownership rate. It also has the fourth-lowest tax rates overall and the highest median household income growth, making it a great place to build and grow wealth.

In addition, the Gem State has the seventh-lowest share of urban interstates experiencing congestion during peak hours and the third-smallest proportion of major roads in poor or mediocre condition. This naturally leads to some of the lowest average commute times in the country.

To top things off, Idaho is a pretty safe state. It has the 13th-lowest violent crime rate and the lowest property crime rate in the country.'

I believe, like any study, Idahoans would agree and disagree with the assessment. Taxes may have ranked low, however the state has a challenge with rising propety taxes stressing homeownership.

Traffic continues to be a problem. We have to say two words: Eagle Road. The state was number one in income growth, but was that due to folks retiring here, or rising wages?

We'll continue to report on these stories as they occur.