Living in Boise

Boise is a city in Idaho, United States, home to 235,684 people. Of the 29 household profiles on Nestlyzer, its strongest are commuters (top 1%, #39 of 6,227), digital natives (top 3%, #97 of 4,750), business owners (top 3%, #301 of 12,111).

Residents235,684

Density– per km²

Area– km²

Hub airport6 km (Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field (BOI))

Nearest city of 100k+Itself

Within 30 km478,700 people

Climate typeMediterranean, hot summer (Csa)

Terrain around itabout 840 m, height range 280 m

Nearest major riverBoise, under 1 km

Main railway line20.9 km

Distance to Washington, D.C.3,287 km

Within 10 km247,234 people

Greater areaGreater Boise, the core

Winter daylight8 h 56 min, sunset 1:11

See Boise on the map

Open in Nestlyzer

Good to know about Boise

The Boise runs through or right past it.
On the shortest day the sun is up for 8 h 56 min and sets around 1:11; in late June it sets around 5:30.

Best places in Greater Boise

How Boise ranks

Scores run 0 to 100 against every municipality in United States. Ranks count only the places that pass each profile's minimums, so the totals differ by profile. Local data: official statistics on affordability, green space, education and family, health and elderly, jobs and economy, lifestyle and amenities, mobility and connectivity and safety and community (local or regional figures, sources on every place page) plus population and geography.

Profile	Score	In United States	In Idaho
Young family	68	#465 of 11,898	#2 of 42	Map
Low-income household	55	#1,267 of 9,771	#2 of 49	Map
Low-income family	65	#608 of 8,006	#2 of 29	Map
Single parent	70	#296 of 6,237	#2 of 23	Map
Pensioner couple	67	#2,071 of 9,474	#8 of 36	Map
Single pensioner	72	#909 of 9,474	#3 of 36	Map
Early retiree	68	#1,720 of 10,762	#3 of 56	Map
Single professional	73	#194 of 4,537	#1 of 11	Map
Young professional	76	#175 of 4,444	#1 of 10	Map
DINKS	76	#457 of 3,053	#1 of 6	Map
Remote worker	68	#434 of 7,271	#2 of 35	Map
Commuter	83	#39 of 6,227	#1 of 11	Map
Car-free household	79	#184 of 3,933	#1 of 7	Map
Student	80	#96 of 2,119	#1 of 5	Map
First-home buyer	63	#550 of 8,006	#1 of 29	Map
Budget-constrained mover	51	#2,956 of 12,111	#16 of 65	Map
Urban lifestyle seeker	74	#287 of 4,114	#1 of 7	Map
Expat professional	78	#478 of 7,271	#1 of 35	Map
Healthcare-first mover	77	#531 of 9,474	#2 of 36	Map
Nature-focused household	43	#11,719 of 18,063	#72 of 102	Map
Cross-border commuter		not ranked: must-have: a border within 45 km where pay is higher on the other side	–	Map
Outdoor and mountain lover	38	#3,921 of 16,523	#46 of 89	Map
Rural value seeker	35	#12,076 of 18,063	#87 of 102	Map
High-net-worth mover	69	#2,257 of 16,523	#2 of 89	Map
Lottery winner	81	#246 of 21,167	#1 of 131	Map
Climate-resilient relocation	66	#4,031 of 12,111	#18 of 65	Map
Coastal living		not ranked: below the minimum for coast	–	Map
Business owner	80	#301 of 12,111	#1 of 65	Map
Digital native	71	#97 of 4,750	#1 of 11	Map

Strengths and trade-offs

Services nearby (people within 10 km: shops, doctors, cafes, transport)100
Foundation95
Mobility and connectivity95
Universities in town (universities and universities of applied sciences within 10 km)95
Education and family90
University-town character (universities relative to the people nearby)89
Climate (mild and sunny: climate class and winter daylight)87
Health and elderly79
Lifestyle and amenities74
Jobs and economy72
Safety and community66
Climate exposure (estimate: coastal and river flooding, heat; 100 = low)65
City scale (people within 10 km: big-city life, transit, scenes)58
Freight access (motorway, rail, port)53
Mountains and water (terrain relief, lakes and the sea nearby)35
Green space34
Affordability33
Market reach (residents within 100 km, across borders)27
Flat land (terrain relief)11
Home market (residents of the same country within 150 km)10
One-day truck radius (residents within 300 km, across borders)2
Port access (major sea or inland port)0
Chemical park nearby (sites with pipeline links)0
National border nearby (straight line)0
Financial centre (banking and capital markets) within commuting distance0
Commodity-trading or gold hub within commuting distance0
Crypto hub within commuting distance0
Wealth-management centre within commuting distance0

Nearby

Data: Eurostat GISCO LAU 2024; locations EDJNet LAU centres; airports OurAirports; coastline Natural Earth. Updated 2026-10-31. Rankings are decision aids, not advice.