STAR / KUNA – Southwest Idaho’s smaller cities are still posting standout growth. New COMPASS 2026 population estimates show Kuna and Star each grew about 14% from 2025 to 2026, far ahead of larger neighbors Meridian and Nampa, which each grew about 3% in the same year.
COMPASS (the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho) accepted the estimates at its April 27, 2026 board meeting. The agency builds April 1 estimates from the 2020 Census base using local building permits, household sizes, vacancy rates, and annexations for Ada and Canyon Counties.
One-year jumps in Kuna and Star
Within Ada County city limits, Kuna rose from 33,750 residents in 2025 to 38,560 in 2026, a gain of 4,810 people. Star rose from 21,800 to 24,950, adding 3,150. COMPASS Planning Team Lead Austin Miller called the percentage growth in some smaller communities “staggering,” pointing to Kuna and Star’s 14% one-year gains versus roughly 3% for Meridian and Nampa.
Star’s longer arc since 2020
Star also leads the COMPASS coverage area on growth since the 2020 Census. The city counted 11,107 residents in 2020 and is now estimated at 24,950, a 131% increase over six years. That long-run pace is the strongest percentage gain COMPASS reported among cities in its 2026 release.
Who added the most people last year
On raw headcount from 2025 to 2026, Caldwell added the most residents (+5,160, to 82,770), followed by Kuna (+4,810) and Meridian (+4,730, to 152,070). Meridian remains Idaho’s second-largest city behind Boise (256,450 in the 2026 COMPASS estimate).
Regional picture
Ada and Canyon Counties combined are estimated at 876,760 people in 2026, up about 150,000 since the 2020 Census count of 726,072. Adding Boise and Elmore Counties brings the four-county total to 915,940, more than 20% growth since 2020. Not every place is booming: COMPASS notes unincorporated areas and some smaller cities such as Greenleaf and Notus were essentially unchanged between 2025 and 2026.
For people watching the Treasure Valley or considering a move to Idaho, the COMPASS numbers underline a clear pattern. Fast percentage growth is concentrated in places like Kuna and Star, while the biggest absolute gains still land in Caldwell, Kuna, and Meridian, and the two-county core keeps adding roughly the population of a mid-size city every few years.
Quick Facts (COMPASS 2026 estimates, as of April 1):
Chart: Treasure Idaho graphic from COMPASS 2026 population estimates. Brand: treasureidaho.com
Sources: COMPASS news release “COMPASS Board Accepts Annual Population Estimates: Increase of 150,000 in Six Years” (April 29, 2026); COMPASS Historic Population Estimates by City Limits PDF (April 2026). No invented figures.
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