These Are The 10 Most Miserable Cities In Idaho

Do you live in one of the most miserable places in Idaho?

According to a Harris Poll taken in October of 2015, only a third of Americans say they are truly happy. That’s too bad, considering that Americans – especially folks in Idaho – don’t really have it too bad, in the grand scheme of things.

But, we were curious – which Idaho cities might be the most miserable? We’re about to find out, using science and data.

After analyzing the largest cities, we sadly present the most miserable cities in the Gem State:

1. Emmett (Photos)
2. Weiser (Photos)
3. Payette
4. Caldwell (Photos)
5. Jerome
6. Coeur D’Alene
7. Nampa (Photos)
8. Buhl
9. Shelley
10. Garden City (Photos)

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. If you have a smile on your face, you probably don’t live in one of these cities.

Oh, and by the way, Eagle is the happiest place in Idaho.

Or check out the Most Miserable Cities In America.

If you’re looking for something more positive, check out the best states in America or the best places to live in America.

How We Measured The Most Miserable Cities In Idaho

In order to rank the unhappiest places in Idaho, we had to determine what criteria makes people happy. It isn’t a stretch to assume that happy people earn great salaries, are relatively stress free, and have a stable home life.

So we went to the Census’s American Community Survey 2010-2014 report for the criteria, flipped the list, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:

• Percentage of residents with a college degree
• Average commute times
• Unemployment rates
• Cost of living
• % of married couples
• % of home owners
• Poverty rate

After we decided on the criteria, we gathered the data for the 108 places in Idaho with over 2,000 people.

We then ranked each place from one to 41 for each of the seven criteria with a score of one being the most miserable (Any ties were given to the larger place).

Next, we averaged the seven rankings into a Miserable Index for each place with the lowest overall Miserable Index ‘earning’ the title ‘Most Miserable City In Idaho’.

If you’d like to see the complete list of states, most miserable to happiest, scroll to the bottom of this post to see the unabridged chart.

1. Emmett

Population: 6,546
People Who Own Their Home: 49.64%
Married Adults: 45.96%

2. Weiser

Population: 5,407
People Who Own Their Home: 56.69%
Married Adults: 48.19%

3. Payette

Population: 7,447
People Who Own Their Home: 55.27%
Married Adults: 46.17%

4. Caldwell

Population: 48,114
People Who Own Their Home: 60.27%
Married Adults: 48.17%

5. Jerome

Population: 11,046
People Who Own Their Home: 55.41%
Married Adults: 54.97%

6. Coeur D’Alene

Population: 45,848
People Who Own Their Home: 51.91%
Married Adults: 46.68%

7. Nampa

Population: 84,660
People Who Own Their Home: 58.35%
Married Adults: 52.29%

8. Buhl

Population: 4,166
People Who Own Their Home: 54.94%
Married Adults: 59.45%

9. Shelley

Population: 4,428
People Who Own Their Home: 64.86%
Married Adults: 52.7%

10. Garden City

Population: 11,223
People Who Own Their Home: 56.36%
Married Adults: 52.28%

There You Have It

Like we said earlier, trying to determine the most miserable cities in {state} is usually a subjective matter. But if you’re analyzing cities where people are not stable, where you’re stuck in traffic, and no one spent the time to go to college, then this is an accurate list.

If you’re curious enough, here are the happiest cities in {state}, according to science:
For more Idaho reading , check out:

• These Are The 10 Most Boring Cities In Idaho
• These Are The 10 Best Places To Live In Idaho According To Science
• These Are The 10 Most Ghetto Cities In Idaho

Detailed List Of Miserable Places In Idaho

City	Rank	People Who Own Their Home
Emmett	1	49.64%
Weiser	2	56.69%
Payette	3	55.27%
Caldwell	4	60.27%
Jerome	5	55.41%
Coeur D’Alene	6	51.91%
Nampa	7	58.35%
Buhl	8	54.94%
Shelley	9	64.86%
Garden City	10	56.36%
Rexburg	11	27.67%
Moscow	12	37.7%
Rathdrum	13	68.47%
Bellevue	14	53.62%
Sandpoint	15	41.32%
Twin Falls	16	54.59%
Rupert	17	54.97%
Pocatello	18	58.13%
Aberdeen	19	50.72%
Blackfoot	20	54.58%
Wendell	21	61.36%
Middleton	22	67.11%
American Falls	23	55.35%
Post Falls	24	63.14%
Kimberly	25	67.74%
Fruitland	26	81.03%
Burley	27	61.94%
Mountain Home	28	52.94%
Idaho Falls	29	60.49%
Lincoln	30	65.92%
Montpelier	31	63.32%
Hayden	32	70.92%
Kuna	33	81.88%
Hailey	34	59.68%
Lewiston	35	64.35%
Preston	36	70.72%
Chubbuck	37	68.62%
Star	38	72.06%
Meridian	39	72.74%
Ammon	40	73.13%
Eagle	41	78.34%