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Community · Gem County
Emmett sits in the Payette River valley where State Highways 16 and 52 meet, with foothills on one side and Black Canyon Reservoir upstream. It has been the Gem County seat since the county formed in 1915.
8,275
Population
$342,000
Median home value (owner estimate)
1977
Median year built
28.0 min
Average commute
$342,000
Median home value (owner estimate)
1977
Median year built
Locally owned by HGTV's Luke Caldwell
Featured in Realtor.com, People Magazine & HGTV
What it's like
Gem County was carved out of Boise and Canyon counties in 1915, with the Town of Emmett named as its seat. That history is recorded in James Hawley's 1920 History of Idaho, which the Gem County Historical Society reproduces at its museum on East First Street.
Upstream, the Bureau of Reclamation runs four day-use parks and Montour Campground along Black Canyon Reservoir, about five miles northeast of town off Highway 52. Recreation.gov lists the reservoir at roughly 1,100 acres with 12 miles of shoreline, used mostly for boating and fishing.
In-town housing is older than in the valley's newer suburbs. Census ACS 2020–2024 estimates (B25034) show 56.9% of Emmett's homes were built before 1980, and 15.0% date to 1939 or earlier. Owners occupy 61.0% of homes (B25003), and the median gross rent is $1,042 (B25064).
Where to look
Here are named parts of the Emmett market, with sources:
Active listings
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Live MLS search
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Market snapshot
| Measure | Figure | Source, date |
|---|---|---|
| Owner-estimated median value, Emmett | $342,000 (±$20,745) | Census ACS 2020–2024, B25077 |
The ACS 2020–2024 home value (B25077) is an owner estimate averaged over 2020–2024.
Emmett's average commute is 28.0 minutes (ACS 2020–2024, S0801), and 47.7% of trips take 30 minutes or longer (B08303). That said, 41.2% of Emmett workers have jobs inside the city (B08008), a higher share than Kuna's or Caldwell's. Highway 16 runs south toward Star, Eagle and Meridian. Highway 52 follows the river east past the reservoir toward Horseshoe Bend.
Emmett FAQs
Emmett owners estimated a median home value of $342,000 in the Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 survey.
Yes. Highland and Dagger Falls are two Emmett-area neighborhoods with new homes. The Census Bureau’s permit survey counted 66 new homes in Emmett in 2025, and 62 from January through August 2026, 10 of them in multi-unit buildings.
The average Emmett commute is 28.0 minutes (Census ACS 2020–2024). Most trips toward the Boise area use Highway 16.
A Bureau of Reclamation reservoir on the Payette River northeast of Emmett, with four day-use parks and a campground off Highway 52.
Yes. We help buyers and sellers in Emmett and across Gem County, whether the property is an older in-town house, rural land or a new build.
All of the city lies inside Emmett Independent School District No. 221 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 boundary files. For a particular address, the district office can confirm.
Several, with overlapping service areas. On state irrigation maps, Last Chance Ditch Co. covers about 72% of Emmett, Lake Reservoir Co. about 32%, Farmers Cooperative Irrigation Co. about 22% and Emmett Irrigation District about 10%. A property’s water rights decide which one actually delivers.
Nearby
Sellers
A pre-1980 house selling against a new build in Highland or Dagger Falls needs a clear story: lot size, location in town, updates already done. We'll build your price from recent Emmett closings, not the county median.
Timber and Love Realty helps clients sell homes in Emmett, Gem County. List on the open market with a local agent, or Not planning to list? Get a cash offer on your Emmett home.
Local expertise
Many Emmett properties are older homes, rural parcels or new builds in a planned neighborhood, and each needs a different kind of due diligence. An Emmett realtor can help sort out what applies, from irrigation and outbuildings to HOA documents. Travis Bolen's profile covers land development, and Mira DiMaggio's lists raw land and new construction. Both work alongside our designated broker, Jennifer Carr.
Talk with an agent who knows Emmett block by block, whether you're buying, selling, or just getting oriented.
Timber and Love Realty, LLC; Designated Broker: Jennifer Carr, DB40824; Equal Housing Opportunity
