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:
- Emmett (Photos)
- Weiser (Photos)
- Payette
- Caldwell (Photos)
- Jerome
- Coeur D’Alene
- Nampa (Photos)
- Buhl
- Shelley
- 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 |
---|---|
Emmett | 1 |
Weiser | 2 |
Payette | 3 |
Caldwell | 4 |
Jerome | 5 |
Coeur D’Alene | 6 |
Nampa | 7 |
Buhl | 8 |
Shelley | 9 |
Garden City | 10 |
Rexburg | 11 |
Moscow | 12 |
Rathdrum | 13 |
Bellevue | 14 |
Sandpoint | 15 |
Twin Falls | 16 |
Rupert | 17 |
Pocatello | 18 |
Aberdeen | 19 |
Blackfoot | 20 |
Wendell | 21 |
Middleton | 22 |
American Falls | 23 |
Post Falls | 24 |
Kimberly | 25 |
Fruitland | 26 |
Burley | 27 |
Mountain Home | 28 |
Idaho Falls | 29 |
Lincoln | 30 |
Montpelier | 31 |
Hayden | 32 |
Kuna | 33 |
Hailey | 34 |
Lewiston | 35 |
Preston | 36 |
Chubbuck | 37 |
Star | 38 |
Meridian | 39 |
Ammon | 40 |
Eagle | 41 |