Best PlacesWest Valley, Boise, ID Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around West Valley, Boise, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
West Valley, Boise ranks 914th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cheap car insurance by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in West Valley, Boise
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
West Valley, Boise's strengths and weaknesses
Where West Valley, Boise ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
Where West Valley, Boise ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 23% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 24% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 42% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in West Valley, Boise
A household needs to earn about $105,000 a year to comfortably buy the median West Valley, Boise home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $79,376, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses West Valley, Boise's effective rate of 0.54%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in West Valley, Boise
West Valley, Boise runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for West Valley, Boise.
Who works in West Valley, Boise, and how
Work in West Valley, Boise centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 79%
- Work from home 17%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in West Valley, Boise
West Valley, Boise has more parkland per resident than 67% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of West Valley, Boise and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in West Valley, Boise, month by month
West Valley, Boise sees roughly 118 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 97 degrees. January highs sit near 42, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 32° | 24° |
| April | 66° | 52° | 38° |
| July | 97° | 80° | 62° |
| October | 68° | 53° | 41° |
Flying in and out of West Valley, Boise
Boise Air Trml/Gowen Field sits about 7 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 2.6 million passengers in 2025, with 59 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around West Valley, Boise
Schools across West Valley, Boise average a B+, better than 85% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Joplin Elementary SchoolA− · 58% proficient
- Summerwind Stem AcademyB+ · 55% proficient
- Frontier Elementary SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
Top middle schools
- Eagle Middle SchoolA · 66% proficient
- Lowell Scott Middle SchoolA− · 54% proficient
- Lewis & Clark Middle SchoolA− · 54% proficient
Top high schools
- Eagle High SchoolA− · 65% proficient
- Centennial High SchoolA− · 65% proficient
- Capital Senior High SchoolB · 46% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every West Valley, Boise school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
West Valley, Boise measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare West Valley, Boise against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who West Valley, Boise suits
Retirees
The weather beats 61% of neighborhoods, health care access beats 79%, and it is quieter than 89%.
Common questions about living in West Valley, Boise
Is West Valley, Boise a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, West Valley, Boise ranks 914th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, state finances, and low crime, and lowest on distance from a big city and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is West Valley, Boise expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $418,258. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $79,376 median income, cost of living beats 59% of neighborhoods.
Is West Valley, Boise safe?
Yes, West Valley, Boise is safer than 98% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $191 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in West Valley, Boise?
July highs average about 97 degrees, and January highs near 42 with lows near 24. That works out to about 118 pleasant days a year, more than 61% of neighborhoods.
Is West Valley, Boise good for families?
Schools beat 85% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 98%, and childcare runs $974 a month.
Compare West Valley, Boise with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to West Valley, Boise. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in West Valley, Boise represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
West Valley, Boise detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for West Valley, Boise: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in West Valley, Boise: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of West Valley, Boise: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in West Valley, Boise: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
West Valley, Boise detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.