Boise, Idaho
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Boise.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Boise compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 235,701City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $81,308Incorporated place (ACS)Near U.S. avg ($78,538)U.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 126ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)26% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $456,000City limits (ACS)50% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,359City limits (ACS)Near U.S. avg ($1,348)U.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 3.2%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 20 min20% below U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 419% below U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 280.6annualized per 100k · citywide53% below U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 1579.2annualized per 100k · citywide49% below U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 88°FNear U.S. avg (87°F)U.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 27°F7.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 11.5 in65% below U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 276Near U.S. avg (266)U.S. 266
Compare Boise with another city
Relocators eyeing Boise, Idaho will find roughly 235,701 residents within city limits. Households here report a median income near $81,308; our housing-derived cost index is about 126 (above the national housing-cost baseline). Budget for median rents around $1,359 a month before you lock a neighborhood.
High-desert basins and rapid in-migration have remade many local housing markets. Roughly 276 sunny days a year give outdoor routines unusual calendar reliability. Commutes average near 20 minutes one-way, with walkability near 41/100. BLS LAUS puts recent unemployment around 3.2% for the surrounding county. Violent-offense rates around 280.6 per 100k are moderate for a large U.S. city, with meaningful variation by neighborhood.
Boise is compact enough that a single wrong neighborhood choice is easy to feel day to day — visit at commute hour before signing. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Boise with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Boise City city, 1600000US1608830)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN160010000000003 (Ada County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00024131 BOISE AIR TERMINAL)
Last updated 2026-07-28