Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety85#135/924
Economy98#18/925
Housing37#581/925
Health93#69/925
Healthcare71#267/923
Environment3#886/917
Education84#150/925
Infrastructure89#103/925
Community75#230/925
Leisure & amenities66#319/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Boise City, ID metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Loneliness · low29.0%
98/100Idaho 29.7%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Broadband subscriptions · high94.1%
97/100Idaho 91.9%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Preventable hospital stays · low1,404 /100k
96/100Idaho 1,575 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
New homes permitted · high11.3 /1k
96/100Idaho 9.2 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Distance to an airport · low13 mi
94/100Idaho 49 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Adult smoking · low11.3%
93/100Idaho 13.8%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Distance to an Amtrak station · high193 mi
3/100Idaho 155 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high9.3 µg/m³
4/100Idaho 8.2 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from countiesCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figure
Home price to income ratio · high5.4×
10/100Idaho 5.4×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Median Air Quality Index · high51
12/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Social associations · low6.9 /10k
12/100Idaho 7.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
High ozone days · high1 days
20/100Idaho 1 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from countiesCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figure

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
770,194 (2020) → 864,243 (2025)
+12%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
Drought exposureImproving
72% (2021) → 57% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
−15 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
High ozone daysImproving
3 days (2017) → 1 days (2022)
−56%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
83.3% (2015-2019) → 94.1% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Property crime rateImproving
1,193 /100k (2020) → 562 /100k (2025)
−53%5 yearsUS 1,929 /100k → 1,535 /100k
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
76.5% (2010 & 2021) → 85.3% (2022 & 2024)
+8.9 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Boise City, ID metro area improved on 20 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 4 moved within the margin of error and 6 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved20

Household income+42%$60,568 → $85,987
Weekly wage+31%$1,006 → $1,321
Bachelor's++5.3 points31.7% → 37.1%
Grocery stores+16%1.1 /10k → 1.2 /10k
Uninsured−1.9 points12.0% → 10.1%

Declined2

Price / income+1.5×4.0× → 5.5×
Commute+0.7 min22.2 min → 22.9 min

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Boise City, ID metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	4.8 /10k2020	5.7 /10k2025	+19%	Improved	72%
Average commute time	22.2 min2015-2019	22.9 min2020-2024	+0.7 min	Declined	40%
Average weekly wage	$1,0062020	$1,3212025	+31%	Improved	95%
Bachelor's degree or higher	31.7%2015-2019	37.1%2020-2024	+5.3 points	Improved	94%
Broadband subscriptions	83.3%2015-2019	94.1%2020-2024	+11 points	Improved	68%
Child poverty rate	13.5%2015-2019	10.5%2020-2024	−3 points	Improved	58%
Distance to an airport	12 mi2020	13 mi2025	+0 mi	Little change	7%
Drug overdose deaths	13.1 /100k2020	11.6 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−11%	Improved	37%
Effective property tax rate	0.79%2015-2019	0.51%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Little change	86%
Firearm deaths	12.7 /100k2020	12.6 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−1.1%	Little change	51%
Grocery stores	1.1 /10k2020	1.2 /10k2025	+16%	Improved	85%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.5 /10k2020	1.7 /10k2025	+18%	Improved	68%
High school diploma or higher	91.8%2015-2019	92.6%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Home price to income ratio	4.0×2015-2019	5.5×2020-2024	+1.5×	Declined	3%
Homicide rate	1.8 /100k2020	1.2 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−32%	Improved	59%
Income adjusted for local prices	$50,1322019	$68,3482024	+36%	Improved	78%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4542015-2019	0.4412020-2024	−0.013	Improved	82%
Median household income	$60,5682015-2019	$85,9872020-2024	+42%	Improved	97%
New business applications	13.5 /1k2020	17.5 /1k2025	+29%	Improved	26%
Pharmacies	1.2 /10k2020	1.1 /10k2025	−4.9%	Little change	57%
Poverty rate	11.9%2015-2019	9.2%2020-2024	−2.7 points	Improved	83%
Property crime rate	1,193 /100k2020	562 /100k2025	−53%	Improved	89%
Public libraries	0.5 /10k2019	0.5 /10k2024	+1.4%	Little change	73%
Public transit commuters	0.4%2015-2019	0.3%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Rent as share of income	28.6%2015-2019	29.4%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Within the margin of error	43%
Rent-burdened households	46.8%2015-2019	48.6%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Restaurants and bars	7.8 /10k2020	7.6 /10k2025	−1.5%	Little change	39%
Suicide rate	19.0 /100k2020	17.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−6.5%	Improved	72%
Traffic deaths	8.7 /100k2015-2019	7.7 /100k2020-2024	−11%	Improved	78%
Unemployment rate	5.6%2020	3.4%2025	−2.2 points	Improved	26%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	12.0%2015-2019	10.1%2020-2024	−1.9 points	Improved	83%
Violent crime rate	274 /100k2020	250 /100k2025	−8.6%	Improved	39%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Boise City, ID metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Boise City, ID metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Boise City, ID metro area itself moved +4.6 points in standing on average over the same 30 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

811,115 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

304,187 households (±1,104)

Boise City, ID metro area
United States share

Under $25k10%31,496
$25k–50k15%45,618
$50k–75k18%53,647

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

304,187 households (±1,104)

Boise City, ID metro area
United States share

Own73%220,621
Rent27%83,566

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+2.8 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

397,607 workers (±2,703)

Boise City, ID metro area
United States share

Drive alone71%280,967
Carpool8.0%31,894
Public transit0.3%1,049

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Boise City, ID employ 90,000 people. 7 pay a median above the US median and 3 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Boise City, ID by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Fast Food and Counter Workers11,690 jobs	11,690	$29,660US $31,200	−5%	1.2×
General and Operations Managers11,270 jobs	11,270	$83,680US $105,770	−21%	1.28×
Home Health and Personal Care Aides9,850 jobs	9,850	$35,850US $35,800	0%	0.91×
Customer Service Representatives9,460 jobs	9,460	$46,640US $44,770	+4%	1.45×
Retail Salespersons9,130 jobs	9,130	$35,670US $35,410	+1%	0.93×
Office Clerks, General8,810 jobs	8,810	$45,860US $45,010	+2%	1.42×
Registered Nurses8,550 jobs	8,550	$97,880US $97,550	0%	1.0×
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand8,030 jobs	8,030	$44,480US $40,240	+11%	1.08×
Cashiers6,830 jobs	6,830	$32,000US $32,880	−3%	0.88×
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers6,380 jobs	6,380	$60,330US $58,640	+3%	1.23×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Boise City, ID.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Boise City, ID has 23,933 employer establishments, 289 for every 10,000 residents (1.16× the US rate of 248), with 321,694 paid employees at an average annual pay of $61,499. The Census Bureau also counts 75,188 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 23,933; 75,188 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 289; US 248
Paid employees: 321,694
Average annual pay: $61,499; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Boise City, ID by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	2,930	35.4	2.29×More than typical	22,009	$58,441	4,747
Ambulatory health care services	1,970	23.8	1.14×About typical	22,332	$68,057	3,619
Lessors of real estate	1,601	19.3	1.57×More than typical	5,432	$57,688	9,210
Restaurants and other eating places	1,337	16.2	0.88×About typical	28,491	$21,929	235
Construction of buildings	1,031	12.5	1.65×More than typical	5,825	$70,885	2,104
Services to buildings and dwellings	1,010	12.2	1.81×More than typical	6,944	$38,452	3,579
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	940	11.4	3.60×More than typical	5,533	$53,227	686
Real estate agents and brokers	918	11.1	2.28×More than typical	1,476	$59,798	3,112
Building finishing contractors	866	10.5	2.75×More than typical	4,374	$47,226	1,677
Offices of other health practitioners	729	8.8	1.45×More than typical	3,852	$41,495	2,010
Building equipment contractors	679	8.2	1.36×More than typical	9,049	$66,551	719
Management, scientific and technical consulting	629	7.6	1.13×About typical	4,137	$76,720	3,160

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 827,672 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $642.7M on contracts performed in Boise City, ID metro area: $744 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $642.7M; −28% vs FY2025
Per resident: $744; US $1,995
Sole-source: 44%; US 30%
Single offer: 3.7%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Forest Service$395.5M62%
Bureau of Land Management$159.4M25%
Departmental Offices$23.7M3.7%
Department of Veterans Affairs$16.6M2.6%
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management$11.5M1.8%
Defense Logistics Agency$5.3M0.8%
Department of the Air Force$4.4M0.7%
Department of the Army$4.4M0.7%

Top recipients

PERIMETER SOLUTIONS LP$274.4M43%
COULSON AVIATION (USA), INC.$62.7M9.8%
AERO AIR, LLC$47.2M7.3%
AERO-FLITE, INC.$42.4M6.6%
NEPTUNE AVIATION SERVICES, INC.$29.1M4.5%

Spending by fiscal year

141.2MFY2017
161.9MFY2018
150.1MFY2019
226.2MFY2020
168.5MFY2021
325.7MFY2022
369.4MFY2023
795.3M

Top industries (NAICS)

Other chemical product and preparation manufacturing · 3259$274.5M43%
Nonscheduled air transportation · 4812$222.2M35%
Support activities for forestry · 1153$18.5M2.9%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$15.9M2.5%
Support activities for air transportation · 4881$15.3M2.4%
Technical and trade schools · 6115$11.6M1.8%

Largest awards

2026 NATIONAL FIRE RETARDANT CONTRACT$108M
PERIMETER SOLUTIONS LP· Ada County, ID· Transportation & logistics· May 14, 2026 – Sep 3, 2026· 140L3726F0073
2025 NATIONAL FIRE RETARDANT CONTRACT$69.5M
PERIMETER SOLUTIONS LP· Ada County, ID· Transportation & logistics· May 5, 2025 – Dec 18, 2025· 140L3725F0101
2024 LTFR FIRE RETARDANT$63.8M
PERIMETER SOLUTIONS LP· Ada County, ID· Other equipment & supplies· May 14, 2024 – Feb 18, 2026· 140L3724F0148
FAM RETARDANT - FULL SERVICE, 2026 IQ-NOCOMMIT CONTINUANCE OF TASK ORDER 1202SC26K2501

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $5.5B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Boise City, ID metro area: $6,325 per resident (US $12,957).

Assistance · FY2026: $5.5B; −8.9% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,325; US $12,957
Loan face value: $2.8B; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.3%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$3.2B59%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$577.6M11%
93.774 · Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance$308.1M5.6%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$293.5M5.4%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$227M4.2%
93.773 · Medicare Hospital Insurance$197.3M3.6%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$91.6M1.7%
20.116 · Airport Improvement Program$65.4M1.2%

Top recipients (organizations)

BOISE, CITY OF$72.9M1.3%
BOISE, ID
BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY$67M1.2%
BOISE, ID
IDAHO HOUSING AND FINANCE ASSOCIATION$36.9M0.7%
BOISE, ID
TRANSPORTATION, IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF$29.5M0.5%
GARDEN CITY, ID
COMMUNITY COUNCIL OF IDAHO, INC$18.3M

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$3.8B70%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$658.1M12%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$550.7M10%
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Education$82.9M1.5%
Federal Aviation Administration$73.8M

Assistance by fiscal year

4.6BFY2021
4.6BFY2022
4.9BFY2023
5.2BFY2024
6BFY2025
5.5BFY2026

County aggregates

93%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Boise City, ID

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

Boise CityPrincipal city237,242

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Idaho

Areas based in Idaho, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M14260

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved20

Declined2

Metro and micro areas like Boise City, ID metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Boise City, ID

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Idaho

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved20

Declined2

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type