STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

Sun Valley has one of the lowest property crime rates in Idaho, according to a new SafeHome report.

Despite having multimillion dollar homes sprinkled throughout the valley, Sun Valley had just 112 property crimes per 100,000 people per year. (The actual number of crimes is, of course, much lower since it has only 1,791 residents, according to the 2020 Census.)

With Sun Valley in first place, Osburn came in second with 117 and Weiser third with 166.

The report said the majority of Sun Valley residents are over the age of 50 and the median household income, $162,000 a year.

Moscow—home to the University of Idaho—saw the lowest violent crimes in 2023 with 15 per 100,000 people. Rigby was next with 35 and St. Anthony, 51. This report did not include the stabbings of four college students, which took place in 2022.

Garden City, a neighborhood tucked into the center of Bose was ranked the most dangerous city with 664 violent crimes per 100,000 people in 2023. It was followed by Parma and Rupert.

Cities with the highest property crime rates are Chubbuck, with 3,106 property crimes per 100,000 people; Garden City with 1,662, and Twin Falls with 1,540.

Twin Fall’s population has grown more than 50 percent in the past 25 years with people flocking there to take jobs in food processing and manufacturing.

Overall, Idaho is one of the safest states in the country with comparatively lower living costs and crime rates than many of its neighbors, the report said It was the 13th safest state overall. Its property crime rate is 58 percent below the national average.

The overall crime rate in its capitol city Boise decreased by 26 percent between 2023 and 2024 with 24.54 crimes per 100,000 people compared to 34.54 crimes per 100,000 in 2023.

That said, gun-related deaths in the state are 30 percent higher with 18.12 gun-related deaths per 100,000 people in 2023. That’s more than the national average of 13.9 guns deaths per 100,000 people. Idaho has the fourth highest gun ownership rate in the country with 60 percent of Idaho households owning at least one gun.

It also reported 42.9 rape-related crimes per 100,000--higher than the national average of 38 per 100,000 people.