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Compare towns

Pierce vs Midvale

148 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (5.4× in Pierce) and property tax bill (+57% in Pierce).

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Pierce, IDHomes around $196KIdaho · 360 people
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Midvale, IDA small town of 347Idaho · 347 people
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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.

PierceHomes around $196K
Housing$196K typical home59% below the ID typical home SchoolsBetter than 22%of ID districts All about Pierce →
MidvaleA small town of 347
Quiet strengthsMidvale doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Midvale →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

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

Street grid5.4×
Pierce has the more walkable street grid
Pierce 57.5Midvale 10.7
Property tax bill+57%
Tax bills are bigger in Pierce
Pierce $1,128Midvale $719
Home values+33%
Homes cost more in Midvale
Midvale $230,600Pierce $173,000
Average commute6 min
Midvale has the shorter commute
Pierce 24 minMidvale 18 min
Conserved land+8.3 pts
Pierce has more conserved land
Pierce 8.3%Midvale 0%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

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.

Pierce$1,130/mo
Typical home $196K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.65% · Housing →
Midvale$1,270/mo
Typical home $231K (Census) · tax rate 0.31% · or rent about $775/mo · Housing →

The difference: $140 a month, about $1,600 a year, between Midvale and Pierce.

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.

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−PierceBetter than 22% of districts in the state B−MidvaleBetter than 47% of districts in the state
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

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
PierceMidvale
Snow a year114″—
January low19°F—
July high83°F—
Growing season (days)93d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)92nd91st
Outdoors & history
PierceMidvale
Trails2 mi3 mi
Conserved land8.3%0%
Settled1860—
National Register places1—
Archive photos—4
Famous people born here—1
Community
PierceMidvale
Library hours a week35 hrs24 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.

Where they are

148 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

PierceIDMidvaleID
Pierce ↔ Midvale148 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.

PierceMidvale
People
Population 360Highest 347Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -8.1% ID: +17.3% —
Median age 60.2±6.5Highest 61% above ID 52.1±13.7Lowest 40% above ID
Pierce and Midvale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 9.4%±6.4Lowest ID: 24.1% 21%±6.7Highest ID: 24.1%
Midvale and Pierce are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 36.4%±8.9Highest ID: 17% 27.7%±4.6Lowest ID: 17%
Pierce and Midvale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 16.3%Lowest ID: 31.8% 21%Highest ID: 31.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.9%±5.1Highest ID: 6.3% 0.3%±3.5Lowest ID: 6.3%
Pierce and Midvale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $53,906±$13kHighest 31% below ID $48,462±$28kLowest 38% below ID
Pierce and Midvale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $173,000±$15kLowest 59% below ID $230,600±$38kHighest 45% below ID
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $775±$170 37% below ID
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,128Highest 45% below ID $719Lowest 65% below ID
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 50%±100Lowest ID: 46.9% 66.7%±100Highest ID: 46.9%
Midvale and Pierce are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 9.6%Lowest ID: 10.6% 11.5%Highest ID: 10.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 97.8%Highest ID: 72.1% 91.3%Lowest ID: 72.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1965Lowest 26 yrs older than ID 1973Highest 18 yrs older than ID
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 24 minHighest 9% above ID 18 minLowest 17% below ID
Work from home 9.7%±9.5Highest ID: 13.3% 4.2%±5.8Lowest ID: 13.3%
Pierce and Midvale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 4%Highest 1.5%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 21.8 miHighest 19.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.72Lowest 0.84Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Orofino (29%)Cambridge (16%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in MidvaleFew work in Pierce
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 8.3%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 1.7 miLowest 2.5 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.1 miHighest 1.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 57.5Highest 10.7Lowest
Schools
School district OROFINO JOINT DISTRICTMIDVALE DISTRICT
High school in town Idaho Youth Challenge Academy FallMidvale Alternative School
Students per teacherat that high school 21.5Highest 6.2Lowest
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.

Pierce neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Pierce’s Town Square.

Midvale neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Midvale’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Pierce and Midvale

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Towns like Pierce

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Peck194 people · $153K homes
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Craigmont509 people · $207K homes
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Irwin236 people · $433K homes
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Council871 people · $201K 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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