Boise City is a city located in Ada County Idaho. Boise City has a 2024 population of 235,216. Boise City is currently declining at a rate of -0.09% annually and its population has decreased by -0.35% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 236,034 in 2020.
The average household income in Boise City is $104,532 with a poverty rate of 11.13%. The median age in Boise City is 37.9 years: 36.9 years for males, and 39 years for females.
The larger Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area, which includes five counties, has a population of 620,000 and it is the largest metro area in the state, containing the three largest cities in Idaho: Boise, Nampa, and Meridian. Boise is also the 3rd most populous metro area in the Pacific Northwest after Seattle and Portland.
Boise has a large ethnic Basque community of about 15,000 people, which is the largest in the United States and the 5th largest outside of Mexico, Chile, Argentina and the Basque Country in France and Spain. There is also a sizeable Basque festival in the city every five years.
The city is home to many religions with the Boise Hare Krishna Temple, an LDS Church temple and the Jewish Ahavath Beth Israel Temple, which is the oldest continually used temple west of the Mississippi.
Boise is currently the 15th fastest growing city in the United States, according to Forbes. The Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area is growing at a rate of 1.7% per year with a job growth rate that is keeping up. The largest cities in Idaho, including Boise, are rising about three times faster than smaller towns in the state.
Idaho has been a refugee resettlement arena since 1975, when it was established as the Indochinese Refugee Assistance Program to help resettle refugees fleeing the overthrow of US-supported governments in South Asia. Initially, the program focused on refugees from Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, but it expanded to include Eastern European refugees fleeing Soviet-era regimes.
During the 1980s, most refugees settled in Idaho and Boise, in particular, were Southeast Asian and Eastern European, with many refugees from the Soviet Union arriving at the end of the 1980s particularly evangelical Christians oppressed for their religious beliefs and political dissidents. During the 1990s, more than 5,000 refugees were resettled in Idaho, with more than 50% coming from Herzegovina and Bosnia to escape ethnic cleansing. The other half during this time came from Africa, East Asia, the Near East, Central Asia, the Caribbean, and Europe.
In the 2000s, more than 5,000 refugees have been settled around Boise, mainly refugees from Europe and Central Asia, especially from Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Russia (67%); Africa, especially Liberia, Sudan and Somalia (24%); East Asia, Latin America and the Near East (9%).
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Boise City was:
Race | Population | Percentage (of total) |
---|---|---|
White | 199,107 | 85.02% |
Two or more races | 15,913 | 6.79% |
Asian | 7,905 | 3.38% |
Other race | 5,594 | 2.39% |
Black or African American | 3,621 | 1.55% |
Native American | 1,393 | 0.59% |
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 659 | 0.28% |
White
Two or more races
Asian
Other race
Black or African American
Native American
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
Household Type | Count | Average Size | Owner | Renter |
---|---|---|---|---|
All | 97,826 | 2.33 | 62.9 | 37.1 |
Married | 43,768 | 2.97 | 81.4 | 18.6 |
Non Family | 41,658 | 1.41 | 45.3 | 54.7 |
Female | 8,351 | 3.19 | 55.4 | 44.6 |
Male | 4,049 | 3.06 | 59.6 | 40.4 |
2.91
Average Family Size
2.33
Average Household Size
62.9%
Rate of Home Ownership
Married
Male
Female
NonFamily
owner
renter
Male
Female
Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
---|---|---|
9th to 12th Grade | 5,069 | 3.11% |
Associates Degree | 13,019 | 7.99% |
Bachelors Degree | 47,440 | 29.11% |
Graduate Degree | 27,203 | 16.69% |
High School Graduate | 31,873 | 19.56% |
Less Than 9th Grade | 2,697 | 1.66% |
Some College | 35,653 | 21.88% |
Less Than 9th Grade
9th to 12th Grade
High School Graduate
Some College
Associates Degree
Bachelors Degree
Graduate Degree
High School Graduation Rate
Bachelors Rate
Race | Total | High School | Bachelors |
---|---|---|---|
White | 137,431 | 132,988 | 64,606 |
Hispanic | 11,869 | 9,655 | 3,396 |
2+ Races | 9,005 | 8,240 | 3,648 |
Asian | 5,432 | 4,968 | 3,221 |
Other Race | 3,516 | 2,658 | 846 |
Black | 1,927 | 1,492 | 533 |
Native American | 937 | 797 | 209 |
Islander | 401 | 401 | 259 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 100%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among islander people with a rate of 64.59%.
All
Male
Female
Name | Average | Male | Female |
---|---|---|---|
Bachelors Degree | $57,512 | $68,100 | $48,329 |
Graduate Degree | $78,409 | $89,758 | $68,971 |
High School Graduate | $35,644 | $40,608 | $28,699 |
Less Than 9th Grade | $31,102 | $33,884 | $25,511 |
Overall | $48,161 | $54,461 | $42,152 |
Some College | $39,998 | $44,146 | $35,820 |
$48,161
Average Earnings
$54,461
Average Male
$42,152
Average Female
Only English
Spanish
Other Indo-European Languages
Asian and Pacific Island Languages
Other Languages
89.99% of Boise City residents speak only English, while 10.01% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 4.61% of the population.
rate
Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
---|---|---|---|
White | 185,148 | 19,027 | 10.28% |
Hispanic | 20,164 | 3,052 | 15.14% |
Multiple | 15,644 | 1,545 | 9.88% |
Asian | 7,742 | 1,283 | 16.57% |
Other | 5,576 | 778 | 13.95% |
Black | 3,452 | 690 | 19.99% |
Native | 1,344 | 444 | 33.04% |
Islander | 653 | 68 | 10.41% |
11.13%
Overall Poverty Rate
10.59%
Male Poverty Rate
11.69%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Boise City is Native, with 33.04% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Boise City is Multiple, with 9.88% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 1.8%. Among those working part-time, it was 18.01%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 18.53%.
rate
Rate | Poverty |
---|---|
Less Than 9th Grade | 24.05% |
High School | 13.32% |
Some College | 8.52% |
Bachelors or Greater | 4.26% |
rate
Rate | Poverty |
---|---|
Female Unemployed | 24.73% |
Male Unemployed | 15.99% |
Female Employed | 7.35% |
Male Employed | 5.61% |
Households
Families
MarriedFamilies
NonFamilies
Name | Median | Mean |
---|---|---|
Families | $95,461 | $129,612 |
Households | $76,402 | $104,532 |
Married Families | $110,241 | $145,555 |
Non Families | $50,348 | $66,789 |
mean
median
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
46.5%
Overall Marriage Rate
47.0%
Male Marriage Rate
46.0%
Female Marriage Rate
male
female
The age group where males are most likely to be married is 45-54, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
Second Gulf War
First Gulf War
Vietnam
Korea
World War II
14,930
Number of Veterans
13,375
Male Veterans
1,555
Female Veterans
War | Veterans |
---|---|
Vietnam | 4,807 |
Second Gulf War | 3,856 |
First Gulf War | 3,627 |
Korea | 769 |
World War II | 186 |
count
Age Group | Veterans |
---|---|
65 to 74 | 3,561 |
75+ | 3,381 |
35 to 54 | 3,331 |
55 to 64 | 3,177 |
18 to 34 | 1,480 |
count
Name | Veterans | % of Total |
---|---|---|
White | 13,427 | 8.2% |
Hispanic | 763 | 5% |
2+ Races | 756 | 6.87% |
Black | 234 | 9.84% |
Other Race | 186 | 4.42% |
Asian | 172 | 2.69% |
Native American | 147 | 13.49% |
Islander | 8 | 1.62% |
Less Than 9th Grade
High School Graduate
Some College
Bachelors or Greater
6.74%
Veteran Poverty Rate
26.02%
Veteran Disability Rate
LaborForceParticipation
68.5%
Labor Force Participation
65.7%
Employment Rate
3.8%
Unemployment Rate
LaborForceParticipation
LaborForceParticipation
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
40.51%
Born in Boise City
93.3%
Native Born
6.7%
Foreign Born
3.06%
Non Citizen
3.65%
Naturalized
93.3% of Boise City residents were born in the United States, with 40.51% having been born in Idaho. 3.06% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.
Year | Population | Growth | Change |
---|---|---|---|
2029 | 234,194 | -205 | -0.09% |
2028 | 234,399 | -204 | -0.09% |
2027 | 234,603 | -204 | -0.09% |
2026 | 234,807 | -205 | -0.09% |
2025 | 235,012 | -204 | -0.09% |
2024 | 235,216 | -205 | -0.09% |
2023 | 235,421 | -1,306 | -0.55% |
2022 | 236,727 | -1,423 | -0.6% |
2021 | 238,150 | 2,116 | 0.9% |
2020 | 236,034 | 6,892 | 3.01% |
2019 | 229,142 | 534 | 0.23% |
2018 | 228,608 | 726 | 0.32% |
2017 | 227,882 | 3,043 | 1.35% |
2016 | 224,839 | 3,779 | 1.71% |
2015 | 221,060 | 1,458 | 0.66% |
2014 | 219,602 | 2,145 | 0.99% |
2013 | 217,457 | 1,735 | 0.8% |
2012 | 215,722 | 3,037 | 1.43% |
2011 | 212,685 | 3,099 | 1.48% |
2010 | 209,586 | 0 | 0% |
2000 | 185,787 | 60,049 | 47.76% |
1990 | 125,738 | 23,489 | 22.97% |
1980 | 102,249 | 27,259 | 36.35% |
1970 | 74,990 | 40,509 | 117.48% |
1960 | 34,481 | 88 | 0.26% |
1950 | 34,393 | 8,263 | 31.62% |
1940 | 26,130 | 4,586 | 21.29% |
1930 | 21,544 | 151 | 0.71% |
1920 | 21,393 | 4,035 | 23.25% |
1910 | 17,358 | 11,401 | 191.39% |
1900 | 5,957 | -228,237 | -97.46% |