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Cost of living, pay and housing

43.63° N · 113.30° W · GEOID 1603160

Arco

Butte County, Idaho · part of the Idaho Falls, ID metro

Computed by Citytistics from 13 public sources · Data bundle checked 2026-11-14 · How we calculate

Limited data population under 5,000

IdahoArco, IDArcoArco

The short answer

Arco is home to 850 people. Median household income is $37,644 a year and median rent is $564 a month, 18.0% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $192,000, about 5.1x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$564
59% below the median place
Median household income
$37,644
53% below the median place
Median home value
$192,000
40% below the median place
Unemployment
4.2%
14% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Arco

  • After the median rent, and with prices for everything else adjusted to the US average, the median household has about $32,000 a year left, less than in 96% of the 1,875 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 24 Idaho places.
  • Median rent is $564 a month, lower than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 36 Idaho places.
  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 5.9% a year while rent rose -1%, so pay gained on rent more than in 93% of places its size. It is the 2nd-lowest of 36 Idaho places.
  • 31.9% of residents live below the poverty line, more than in 96% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 34 Idaho places.
  • 19% of homes stand vacant, more than in 86% of places its size. It is the highest of 25 Idaho places.
01

Moving to Arco

Butte County gains about 43.4 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in158
Moved out63
Net+95

Within Idaho, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Within IdahoOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$56K
Leavers$46K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Butte County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
3.1% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 3.7% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Butte County report $55,800 a year in income on average; those leaving, $46,300, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$22,600 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $564 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,225 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $192,000.
Getting to work
20 minutes each way on average; 16.0% work from home; 2.1% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
McKenzie, TN matches it on character. Compare the two
Net movers per 1,000 people8
43.4
above the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving out8
$46,333
34% below the median place
Moved here in the past year1
3.1%
46% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureArcoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure3.1%46% below
Moved from another state1Metro figure3.7%88% above
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure43.4above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure$55,83821% below
Income of households moving out8County figure$46,33334% below
02

What it costs to live here

Median gross rent is $564, 59% below the median place.

Arco18.0%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$22,560
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
18.0%
12% below the median place
Home price to income
5.1x
34% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
18%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$32,300
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Arco, $564 a month, and local prices for everything else (96.5 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Arco.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Arco? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
19.1%
170% above the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$1,087
67% below the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$1,225
35% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureArcoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$56459% below
Rent to income118.0%12% below
Property tax rate10.6%37% below
Home price to income15.1x34% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure94.46% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,17427% below
HUD area median income4County figure$79,40026% below
Property tax paid (median)1$1,08767% below
Median home value1$192,00040% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure2.1%33% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure52.7%2% above
Homeownership160.2%9% below
Renters paying 30%+154.0%7% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,22535% below
Vacant homes119.1%170% above
Median year built119631% below
03

Work and pay

Median household income is $37,644, 53% below the median place.

Median household income1
$37,644
53% below the median place
Poverty rate1
31.9%
196% above the median place
Income per person1
$24,876
38% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureArcoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$37,64453% below
Income per person1$24,87638% below
Unemployment1Metro figure4.2%14% below
Average annual pay6County figure$119,54581% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.7%0% above
Jobs6County figure10,27593% below
Poverty rate131.9%196% above
Mean commute120 min20% below
Works from home1County figure16.0%28% above
Commutes by transit1Metro figure2.1%149% above
04

Who lives here

Median age is 34.6, 11% below the median place.

Median age1
34.6
11% below the median place
Population change since 20207
4.8%
317% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
23.9%
25% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

High school or higher93.4% +1%
Homes with broadband91.7% −1%
Household size2.5 +2%
All 9 people measures
MeasureArcoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population18506646th largest
Population change since 202074.8%317% above
Median age134.611% below
Bachelor's or higher123.9%25% below
High school or higher193.4%1% above
Household size12.52% above
Born abroad1County figure2.9%67% below
No health insurance1County figure7.8%22% above
Homes with broadband191.7%1% below
05

Life in Arco

5 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark.

  • Experimental Breeder Reactor No. 1 listed 1966Landmark
  • Goodale's Cutoff listed 1974
  • Arco Baptist Community Church listed 2001
  • Aviator's Cave listed 2010
  • Craters of the Moon National Monument Mission 66 Historic District listed 2022

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars18.6 −11%
Shops41.0 +35%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.9 −5%
Doctors' offices and clinics11.2 −45%
Child care centers2.4 +4%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public school students11
372
92% below the median place
Public schools11
2
78% below the median place
Students per teacher11
12.8
17% below the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureArcoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11278% below
Public school students1137292% below
Students per teacher1112.817% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure18.611% below
Shops per 10k9County figure41.035% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9Metro figure3.95% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure11.245% below
Child care centers per 10k9Metro figure2.44% above
National Register listings10562% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Natural hazard risk is 4.4, 95% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Arco. Larger places are fetched first.

Natural hazard risk13
4.4
95% below the median place
Tornado risk13
3.0
96% below the median place
Average temperature12
42°F
24% below the median place
All 10 weather and risk measures
MeasureArcoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure83°F4% below
January average low12County figure9°F63% below
Average temperature12County figure42°F24% below
Annual precipitation12County figure12.8 in71% below
Natural hazard risk13County figure4.495% below
Tornado risk13County figure3.096% below
Wildfire risk13County figure55.59% below
Heat wave risk13County figure27.869% below
Median air quality index14County figure422% below
Good air days14County figure90.1%32% above
08

Arco in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 17% of the median income in 2030, down from 18% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$564/mo (2024)$700/mo$580 to $850/mo+3.7%
Median household income$37,644 (2024)$48,500$41,000 to $57,500+4.3%
Median home value$192,000 (2024)$307,000$223,000 to $422,000+8.1%
Population918 (2025)940900 to 980+0.5%

The median home would be worth 6.3 years of the median income in 2030, against 5.1 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Arco

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
McKenzie, TN$663$37,236Compare
Tifton, GA$798$45,298Compare
Indianola, MS$720$41,708Compare
Pontotoc, MS$803$46,167Compare
Pontotoc, MSIndianola, MSTifton, GAMcKenzie, TNArco, IDArcoMcKenzieTiftonIndianolaPontotocArcoMcKenzieTiftonIndianolaPontotoc

Common questions

Is Arco a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. After the median rent, and with prices for everything else adjusted to the US average, the median household has about $32,000 a year left, less than in 96% of the 1,875 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 24 Idaho places. Median rent is $564 a month, lower than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 36 Idaho places. On cost, space and class size it scores 37 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Arco expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 18.0% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $192,000.

What salary do you need to live in Arco?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $22,560 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Arco?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are McKenzie, TN, Tifton, GA, Indianola, MS and Pontotoc, MS.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Arco with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Arco itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/arco-idaho

Citytistics. “Arco, Idaho.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/arco-idaho/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.