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Marsing vs Wallace

275 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (3.7× in Wallace) and growth since 2010 (+18.3 pts in Marsing).

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Marsing, IDA small town of 1,306Idaho · 1,306 people
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Wallace, IDA regional job hubIdaho · 1,027 people
Swap order
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

MarsingA small town of 1,306
Quiet strengthsMarsing doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Marsing →
WallaceA regional job hub
Work615 jobsbased in Wallace, a regional job hub Housing$264K typical home45% below the ID typical home HistorySettled in 18847 places on the National Register All about Wallace →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Jobs per worker3.7×
Wallace is more of a job hub
Wallace 2.52Marsing 0.69
Growth since 2010+18.3 pts
Marsing has grown faster since 2010
Marsing +19.2%Wallace +0.9%
Home values+49%
Homes cost more in Marsing
Marsing $347,200Wallace $232,700
Typical home built35 yrs
Wallace’s homes are older
Marsing 1973Wallace 1938
Average commute9 min
Wallace has the shorter commute
Marsing 28 minWallace 18 min
Work from home+9.1 pts
More people work from home in Wallace
Wallace 12.8%Marsing 3.7%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $720 more a month in Marsing

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Marsing$2,240/mo
Typical home $403K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.39% · or rent about $654/mo · Housing →
Wallace$1,520/mo
Typical home $264K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.63% · or rent about $727/mo · Housing →

The difference: $720 a month, about $8,700 a year, between Marsing and Wallace.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Life in each

Wallace gets 66 more inches of snow a year

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
MarsingWallace
Snow a year10″76″
January low23°F24°F
July high93°F81°F
Growing season (days)164d149d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)81st96th
Outdoors & history
MarsingWallace
Trails0 mi2 mi
Conserved land0%6.3%
Settled—1884
National Register places—7
Archive photos412
Community
MarsingWallace
Library hours a week34 hrs33 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Idaho ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
C+MarsingBetter than 41% of districts in the state C+WallaceBetter than 38% of districts in the state
Health
C+MarsingHealthier than 41% of U.S. towns CWallaceHealthier than 32% of U.S. towns
Where they are

275 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

MarsingIDWallaceID
Marsing ↔ Wallace275 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

MarsingWallace
People
Population 1,306Highest 1,027Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +19.2%Highest ID: +17.3% +0.9%Lowest ID: +17.3%
Median age 45.1±7.5Lowest 21% above ID 47±8.1Highest 26% above ID
Wallace and Marsing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 20.7%±5.6Highest ID: 24.1% 17.7%±5.5Lowest ID: 24.1%
Marsing and Wallace are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 22.9%±6.9Highest ID: 17% 19.1%±4.2Lowest ID: 17%
Marsing and Wallace are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 6.6%Lowest ID: 31.8% 19.6%Highest ID: 31.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.7%±2.4Highest ID: 6.3% 1.9%±1.6Lowest ID: 6.3%
Marsing and Wallace are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $70,202±$18kHighest 10% below ID $51,492±$8kLowest 34% below ID
Marsing and Wallace are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $347,200±$44kHighest 17% below ID $232,700±$35kLowest 44% below ID
Rentmedian gross, monthly $654±$192Lowest 47% below ID $727±$83Highest 41% below ID
Wallace and Marsing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,361Lowest 33% below ID $1,468Highest 28% below ID
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 28.1%±24.9Lowest ID: 46.9% 50.3%±13.4Highest ID: 46.9%
Wallace and Marsing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 10.2%Lowest ID: 10.6% 20.1%Highest ID: 10.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 56.9%Lowest ID: 72.1% 57.6%Highest ID: 72.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1973Highest 18 yrs older than ID 1938Lowest 53 yrs older than ID
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minHighest 28% above ID 18 minLowest 15% below ID
Work from home 3.7%±3.1Lowest ID: 13.3% 12.8%±5.9Highest ID: 13.3%
Work in townworking residents 7.8%Lowest 16%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 12.8 miHighest 10.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.69Lowest 2.52Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Nampa (15%)Osburn (15%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in WallaceFew work in Marsing
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 6.3%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 1.5 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 1.7 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 103Highest 72.1Lowest
Schools
School district MARSING JOINT DISTRICTWALLACE DISTRICT
High school in town Marsing High SchoolWallace Jr./Sr. High School
Students per teacherat that high school 14.3Highest 10.1Lowest
Idaho average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Marsing neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Marsing’s Town Square.

Wallace neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Wallace’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Marsing and Wallace

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Towns like Marsing

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Priest River1,778 people · $299K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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