Star, Idaho

City in Ada County · population 11,117 (2020 Census) · spans 2 counties

Median home: $564,300
Household income: $97,936
Jan low / Jul high: 23° / 93°
Snow a year: 10 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 6
Median age: 40.3

Star is a city of 11,117 people in Ada County, Idaho. The median home is worth $564,300, above the typical Idaho town ($291,900). It ranks better for families than 85% of Idaho towns, more upscale than 84% of Idaho towns, more of a college town than 82% of Idaho towns.

How Star ranks

Percentile among Idaho towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Idaho towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Star is worth $564,300, above the typical Idaho town ($291,900). Homes cost about 5.8 times the median household income of $97,936, which is more affordable than 18% of Idaho towns. Median rent is $1,924 a month. 80.7% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Idaho towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Star	Typical Idaho town
Median home value	$564,300	$291,900
Median rent	$1,924	$1,029
Median household income	$97,936	$66,924
Home value ÷ income	5.8×	4.5×
Homeownership	80.7%	73.7%
Median year built	2011	1977
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.1%	—

Who lives in Star

People	Star	Typical Idaho town
Median age	40.3	36.6
Age 65 and over	21.8%	16.5%
Under 18	24.7%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	34.9%	21.7%
Below the poverty line	5.8%	11.4%
Veterans	10.1%	—
Born outside the U.S.	3.6%	—
Work from home	21.2%	8.4%
Average commute	27.5 min	22.2 min
Homes with broadband	95.3%	91.2%

Weather in Star

July highs average 93.3°F and January lows 23.0°F. About 11.0 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 9.7 inches of snow (typical Idaho town: 38.8 in). Expect about 59 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 132 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Nampa Sugar Factory station (8.0 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

6 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Star since 1950, compared with 2 for the typical Idaho town. The strongest, an F1, struck on July 9, 1956 about 0.4 miles from the town center. The most recent was on May 26, 2023.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 6 times; the largest was 1.50 inches on May 26, 2015.

Severe weather in Ada County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Ada County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 1 deaths recorded.

Ada County has been included in 6 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, hurricane.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
April 9, 2020	Biological	DR-4534: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3467: Covid-19
October 7, 2017	Flood	DR-4342: Flooding
September 13, 2005	Hurricane	EM-3244: Hurricane Katrina
September 1, 2000	Fire	DR-1341: Wildfires

Jobs and pay in Ada County

Ada County had 288,010 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $70,588 a year. Unemployment was 2.7% in 2023; in Star itself the ACS puts it at 6.9%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Star

2 public schools with 1,611 students, about 20.9 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
STAR MIDDLE SCHOOL	6-8	943	22.5
STAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	PK-5	668	19.1

Star questions

Is Star, Idaho a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Star scores better for retirees than 71% of Idaho towns and quieter than 26%. 21.8% of residents are 65 or older (median age 40.3).

How much does a house cost in Star?

The median owner-occupied home in Star is valued at $564,300 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $97,936, so homes cost about 5.8 times income. Median rent is $1,924 a month.

What is the weather like in Star?

July highs average 93.3°F and January lows 23.0°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 11.0 inches of precipitation a year and 9.7 inches of snow.

Does Star get tornadoes?

6 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Star since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F1 on July 9, 1956. The typical Idaho town has had 2.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Star's Census boundary (GEOID 1676870). Comparisons use the median of Idaho towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-12.