Living in Boise, ID

Boise sits comfortably below national crime averages. The violent crime index is 63 against a national baseline of 100, and property crime registers at 80. Most neighborhoods feel safe for walking, errands, and daily life. Like anywhere, some areas need more caution than others — ask locals or check precinct maps before picking a neighborhood. Data from the FBI UCR.

By most measures, yes. The median rent of $1,359/month against a median household income of $81,308/year works out to a 20.1% rent-to-income ratio. Financial planners generally want that number under 30%, so Boise clears the bar with room to spare. You'll have breathing space for savings, car payments, and the occasional splurge. Numbers from Census ACS 2023.

The average worker in Boise spends about 16 minutes getting to the office. Driving solo is the default (68.6%), with 15.8% working remotely and 0.6% on public transit. It's a fairly typical commute — not a selling point, not a dealbreaker.

Not particularly. The climate risk score is 24/100, which puts Boise in the low-risk tier. Wildfire, Drought, and Heat Wave are the most relevant hazards, but none of them are frequent concerns. Standard insurance should have you covered. It's one less thing to worry about if you're comparing this city to higher-risk metros along the coast or in tornado alley. Data from FEMA disaster declarations and NOAA.

For most families, yes. Graduation rates run at 86.0% with a 18:1 student-teacher ratio, which is respectable. The best schools in Boise compete with any in the state, though weaker ones pull the city-wide average down. If schools drive your housing decision, focus on specific attendance zones — the right neighborhood makes all the difference.

A bit less than you'd pay in most U.S. cities. The average monthly utility bill in Boise is around $209 (covering electric, gas, water, sewer), compared to a national average of $230. That $21 monthly savings won't change your life, but it's a nice perk — especially if you're coming from a more expensive market.

Good, overall. The median AQI sits at 42, which falls within the EPA's "Good" category, and Boise logs 265 clean-air days annually. PM2.5 is the main pollutant. Occasional spikes happen — wildfire smoke, temperature inversions, or high-ozone days — but they're the exception, not the rule. Check AirNow.gov during allergy season or summer heat waves.

Higher than average, yes. The total effective tax rate lands around 12.5% when you add up income, property, and sales taxes. Sales tax is 6.0%. High-tax areas often come with better public schools, infrastructure, and services — but that's not guaranteed, and it's cold comfort on payday. If you're moving from a low-tax state like Texas or Florida, brace for a noticeable dip in take-home pay.

Everything on this page is built from public government sources: rent and income figures from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS 5-Year Estimates, 2023); commute and transportation data from Census ACS tables B08303 and B08006; crime rates from the FBI Uniform Crime Report; climate risk assessments using FEMA disaster declarations and NOAA storm records; air quality measurements from the EPA's Air Quality System database; school data from the National Center for Education Statistics; utility cost estimates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. We refresh each dataset monthly through an automated pipeline and cross-check for anomalies. No surveys, no user-submitted guesses — just official federal data presented in a way that's actually useful for people researching a move.