State scorecard
Idaho in the US Political Rank
Every place Idaho holds across our state rankings, in one scorecard. Economy, taxes, education, crime, healthcare, and more, each measured the same way for all 50 states and each linked to the full cited ranking.
#5
of 50 on Voting With Their Feet: States Ranked by Migration and Population Growth
#25
of 50 on States Ranked by Health Care Outcomes
58.1%
Governor Brad Little performance score, rank 6 of 50
8
state rankings that score Idaho
Governor
Idaho's governor, Brad Little (Republican), holds performance rank 6 of 50 at 58.1% this week in the Governor Performance Rankings, scored on 263 metrics and updated every Monday.
| Ranking | Idaho's place | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Voting With Their Feet: States Ranked by Migration and Population GrowthSecond-fastest percent growth in the country at 1.4 percent, and one of the top per-capita net migration destinations alongside South Carolina and North Carolina (Census Bureau, Vintage 2025). | #5 of 50 | 91.8 |
| States Ranked by Fiscal Health: Reserves, Pensions, and What They OweReserves equal to 148.2 days of operating costs, third most in the nation (Pew, FY2025 data). Idaho has banked much of its boom rather than spending it. | #7 of 20 | 87.9 |
| Ranking the 50 State Economies of 2026Second-fastest population growth in the nation at 1.4 percent (Census Bureau, Vintage 2025) and the highest per-capita rate of new housing permits of any state (Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, 2025). | #8 of 50 | 86.4 |
| States Ranked by K-12 Education OutcomesAbove the national average in math at both grade levels in 2024 (NCES, NAEP 2024). | #12 of 50 | 88.9 |
| States Ranked by Violent Crime Rate230.6 per 100,000, one of the lowest murder-rate states in the country alongside New Hampshire and Iowa (FBI, 2024). | #14 of 50 | 230.6 |
| States Ranked by Dependence on Federal MoneyExtensive federal land management and transfer receipts keep the per-capita balance of payments positive against modest federal tax payments (Rockefeller Institute, 2025). | #18 of 50 | 78.0 |
| States Ranked by Total Tax BurdenA flat individual income tax and a below-average overall burden (Tax Foundation, 2026), a structure that accompanies the nation's second-fastest population growth (Census Bureau, Vintage 2025). | #21 of 50 | 75.0 |
| States Ranked by Health Care OutcomesStrong healthy-lives measures and above-average life expectancy offset a higher-than-average uninsured rate after a late 2020 Medicaid expansion (CDC NCHS, 2023; Census ACS, 2023). | #25 of 50 | 77.2 |
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