Micro area · Idaho
Burley, ID micropolitan area
Burley, ID is a micropolitan area of 2 counties in Idaho, home to 49,308 residents. Burley, ID micropolitan area has a quality-of-life score of 44 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #519 of 925 US metro and micro areas. Among metro and micro areas based in Idaho it ranks #13 of 13. It ranks best on child care cost burden (low), job growth (high) and preventable hospital stays (low). It ranks worst on drought exposure (high), firearm deaths (high) and distance to an airport (high).
- Quality-of-life score
- #519 of 925 metro and micro areas
- Idaho
- #13 of 13 in ID
- Population
- 49,308 (2025)
- Land area
- 3,323 mi²
- Density
- 14.8 /mi²
- CBSA code
- 15420
Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 66 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.
Scores by category
Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.
- Safety55#412/924
- Economy62#354/925
- Housing79#198/925
- Health64#336/925
- Healthcare19#744/923
- Environment53#434/917
- Education14#798/925
- Infrastructure36#593/925
- Community35#602/925
- Leisure & amenities46#501/925
Strengths · Weaknesses
Indicators where Burley, ID micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).
Strengths
- Child care cost burden · low19.1%98/100Idaho 20.9%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Job growth · high2.3%
- Preventable hospital stays · low1,625 /100k92/100Idaho 1,575 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Average commute time · low17.7 min
- Loneliness · low31.0%91/100Idaho 29.7%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
- Effective property tax rate · low0.45%
Weaknesses
- Drought exposure · high100%1/100Idaho 73%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAggregated from counties
- Firearm deaths · high32.6 /100k2/100Idaho 15.9 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
- Distance to an airport · high142 mi5/100Idaho 49 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
- Social associations · low5.6 /10k6/100Idaho 7.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Distance to an Amtrak station · high154 mi6/100Idaho 155 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
- High school diploma or higher · low84.3%
Trends
The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.
- PopulationRising
46,422 (2020) → 49,308 (2025)
+6.2%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
- Firearm deathsWorsening
16.0 /100k (2021) → 32.6 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+104%5 yearsUS 14.7 /100k → 12.1 /100k
- Drought exposureWorsening
80% (2021) → 100% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+20 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
- Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
54.1% (2010 & 2021) → 65.5% (2022 & 2024)
+11 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
- New homes permittedWorsening
9.4 /1k (2021) → 5.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−47%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
- Arts, entertainment and recreationImproving
2.8 /10k (2020) → 4.1 /10k (2025)
+45%5 yearsUS 4.8 /10k → 5.5 /10k
What changed in five years
How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.
Metro and micro areas like Burley, ID micropolitan area five years ago that improved
The places whose measures looked most like those of Burley, ID micropolitan area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.
Who lives here
Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).
Income
How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.
Homes
Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.
Getting to work
How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.
Jobs and pay
What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.
Local businesses
Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.
Federal contract spending
Federal grants & assistance
Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.
Counties in Burley, ID
Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.
Principal cities
The cities the area is named for.
Largest cities and towns
By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.
Other metro and micro areas in Idaho
Areas based in Idaho, best score first.
Neighboring metro and micro areas
Places that share a border, best score first.
Similar metro and micro areas
Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).
- Twin Falls, ID47Alike on Drought, Child care cost, Foreign-born
- Blackfoot, ID48Alike on Child care cost, Drought, Preventable stays
- Mountain Home, ID60Alike on Amtrak, Birth rate, Child care cost
- Vernal, UT42Alike on Drought, Frost days, Median age
- Ontario, OR-ID20Alike on Flu vaccination, High school+, Preventable stays
Data and sources
Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.
- Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
- PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
- Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
- Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
- Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
- Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
- Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
- U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
- Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
- nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
- Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
- Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
- Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
- American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
- Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
- Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
- Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
- Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
- Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
- Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
- Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
- Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
- County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement