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Southwest Idaho

Boise, Idaho

Ada County237,963 people

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Boise, Idaho

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  • 237,963Population
  • 1,387Open jobs

About Boise

Boise is a city in Ada County, where it is the county seat. About 237,963 people lived here in 2024, by Census estimate. It sits at about 2,700 feet.

Places listed for this area include Lucky Peak State Park and Bonneville Point.

Moving to Boise

Start with homes, jobs and local services in and around Boise.

Cost of living

This is the Boise City metro price level, which covers Boise. A basket that costs $100 in the U.S. costs $98.39 here, under the U.S. average by 1.6%.

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Public schools in Boise

All 80

District, enrollment, and students per teacher from the federal 2024-25 directory. No ratings.

Services for Boise

All services

DMV counters are the county offices. A gas utility appears only when its public list names Boise.

  • Intermountain Gas · natural gas, on the company's town list. A main is not guaranteed at every address.

Crime rate

294violent crimes per 100,000 people

In the middle

Boise has the 7th highest rate of the 21 Idaho cities that reported a 2024 figure to the FBI.

LowerHigher (Garden City, 656)

Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2024. Cities that did not publish a rate are left out.

Allergy ratings in Boise

What a typical year looks like: Low, Moderate or High for each pollen season, plus wildfire smoke. Typical, general guidance. It is not medical advice. Pollen and smoke change with the weather every year, and what bothers you depends on what you are allergic to. See an allergist for testing.

  • Spring trees

    March to June

    Moderate

    Rating: Moderate, on a scale of Low, Moderate, High, Very High. Peaks in April

  • Early-summer grass

    Late May to July

    High

    Rating: High, on a scale of Low, Moderate, High, Very High. Late May to early July, highest the first two weeks of June

  • Fall weeds and sagebrush

    August to October

    High

    Rating: High, on a scale of Low, Moderate, High, Very High. Weeds from mid-August, sagebrush heaviest mid-September to mid-October

  • Wildfire smoke

    Mostly July to September

    High

    Rating: High, on a scale of Low, Moderate, High. 12.6 days a year with air quality over 100. Worst year 35 (2024).

Counted nearby. Pollen ratings come from the Boise station in the Treasure Valley, in town.

How these ratings are worked out

Pollen is rated on the National Allergy Bureau bands for the grains of pollen in a cubic meter of air. Trees: Low under 15, Moderate 15 to 89, High 90 to 1,499. Weeds: Low under 10, Moderate 10 to 49, High 50 to 499. Grass: Low under 5, Moderate 5 to 19, High 20 to 199. The band is the one reached on the busiest quarter of counted days. A rating is typical, not a forecast: one wet or windy year can move it.

Spring trees, Moderate. Boise NAB station, 62 counted days in 2017 to 2021: on the busiest quarter of days the tree count was 74 grains per cubic meter or more, which the NAB bands call Moderate. On the busiest tenth of days it was 104 or more. That is a short record, so treat it as a rough guide. The Allergy Group's own Boise counts agree: 25 to 30 tree pollen on a daily sample starts mild to moderate symptoms, and cottonwood and juniper reach high counts in April in dry springs.

Early-summer grass, High. The Allergy Group (Boise) reports grass counts over 100 on its 24-hour sampler in early June, and 30 is enough to bother people who react to grass. NAB calls 20 to 199 High. The NAB grass bands: Low under 5, Moderate 5 to 19, High 20 to 199, Very High 200 or more grains per cubic meter.

Fall weeds and sagebrush, High. Boise NAB station, 37 counted days in 2017 to 2019: on the busiest quarter of days the weed count was 54 grains per cubic meter or more, which the NAB bands call High. On the busiest tenth of days it was 73 or more. That is a short record, so treat it as a rough guide. The Allergy Group's own Boise counts agree: chenopod (tumbleweed, kochia, Russian thistle) peaks at 30 to 60 in late summer, and sagebrush runs 400 to 500 on a good day from mid-September to mid-October.

Wildfire smoke, High. The average number of days a year the EPA's air quality index passed 100 ("unhealthy for sensitive groups" or worse), 2021-2025. Under 3 days is Low, 3 to 9 Moderate, 10 or more High. That grouping is ours, not the EPA's. Ada County has its own EPA air monitor. The count includes any cause, but across Idaho's monitors 86% of those days fell in July to September and 94% were fine particles (PM2.5), which is what wildfire smoke is made of (570 county-days, 2021-2025).

Year to year. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ranked Boise 95th of 100 U.S. metros for pollen in its 2025 report and 1st in its 2026 report, after a wet winter and a long grass season. Expect a typical rating to miss some years.

Not rated. Mold: no published mold spore counts for Idaho towns are in the data used, so there is no mold rating. House dust, pets and food allergies are outside this rating.

Sources

Today

Pollen data through 2003-2024, smoke data 2021-2025. Checked 2026-10-03.

Videos about Boise

Why You'll Love Living in Boise, Idaho! 10+ Reasons for Moving to Idaho

From Treasure Talks posts tagged Boise.

Treasure Talks in Boise

Map of Boise

Parks, new home communities, homes for sale and stays listed in town. Select a pin to open it.

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Parks in Boise

66 named parks on OpenStreetMap.

  • “B” Plaza
  • Aldape Park
  • Ann Morrison Park
  • Ayres Park
  • Baggley Park
  • Barber Observation Point
  • Barber Park
  • Blue Valley Park
  • Boise Hills Park
  • Bonneville Monument Park
  • Borah Park
  • Bowden Park
  • Bowler Park
  • C. W. Moore Park
  • Camel's Back Park
  • Cassia Park
  • Cherie Buckner-Webb Park
  • Columbia Village Recreation Center Park
  • Cove East Park
  • Cypress Park
  • Discovery Picnic Area
  • Eagle Rock Park
  • Elm Grove Park
  • Esther Simplot Park
Show all 66 parks
  • Fairview Park
  • Foothills East Park
  • Fort Boise Park
  • Franklin Park
  • Gordon S. Bowen Park
  • Grove Plaza Park
  • Helen B. Lowder Park
  • Heron Park
  • Hopffgarten Property
  • Idaho Fallen Firefighters Memorial Park
  • Ivywild Park
  • John M. Booth Memorial Park
  • Julia Davis Park
  • Kathryn Albertson Park
  • Kristens Park
  • Kristin Armstrong Municipal Park
  • Kroeger Park
  • Lakewood Community Park
  • Lakewood East Park
  • Lakewood Park
  • Liberty Park
  • Lucky Peak State Park
  • Manitou Park
  • McAuley Park
  • Micron Park
  • MK Nature Center
  • Morris Hill Park
  • Owyhee Park
  • Parkcenter Park
  • Phillippi Park
  • Platt Gardens
  • Pleasant Valley Trail System 1
  • Prickett Park
  • Robert Noble Park
  • Robie Creek Park
  • Shoreline Park
  • Shoshone Park
  • Simplot Sports Complex
  • Terry Day Park
  • The Quad
  • Warm Springs Park
  • Williams Park

Parks, trails and things to do

All of Idaho

Places in and around Boise, nearest first: everything tied to Boise plus anything within 15 miles of town.

Things to do (nearest 18 of 34)

Lakes

Viewpoints

Ski areas

Museums

Historic sites

Attractions

Trails (nearest 12 of 269)

Distances are straight-line miles. From state and federal agency pages, the USGS place names list and OpenStreetMap contributors. Checked October 2, 2026. Check the official page for hours, fees and closures before you go.

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Deals in Boise

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Moving checklist: setting up a home in Boise

Shop room by room for the new place. Discounts show only when a store has a real sale.

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Jobs in Boise

All jobs

Companies hiring

224 companies have open jobs here.

Latest jobs

Latest news in Boise

All 43 stories

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Homes for sale in Boise

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Boise, Idaho FAQ

Where is Boise, Idaho?

Boise is in Ada County, Idaho. Nearby towns include Garden City (4.4 mi), Eagle (9.4 mi), Meridian (9.5 mi).

What is the population of Boise, Idaho?

Boise has a population of about 237,963 (U.S. Census).

Are there new home communities in Boise?

Yes. Treasure Idaho lists 25 new home communities in Boise.

Are there jobs in Boise, Idaho?

There are 1,387 open jobs listed in Boise on Treasure Idaho, from 224 local employers.

What schools are in Boise, Idaho?

Boise has 80 operating public schools in Boise Independent District and Cardinal Academy Incorporated, including Ada County Juvenile Center, Adams Elementary School, Amity Elementary School, Boise Online School - Elementary.

Is Boise, Idaho safe?

Boise's violent crime rate is 294 per 100,000 residents, ranking 7 of 21 Idaho cities reported (In the middle).

What parks are in Boise, Idaho?

Boise has 66 parks, including “B” Plaza, Aldape Park, Ann Morrison Park, Ayres Park.

Moving guide

Moving to Idaho

A short guide from Treasure Idaho: regions, seasons, jobs, new-home communities, and the questions worth asking before you pick a town. Download it, then poke around the cities and the map.

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