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Measure	Boise	Meridian	Nampa
County	Ada	Ada	Canyon
Population	238,429	142,988	120,384
Growth since 2020	+1.1%	+21.4%	+19.9%
Median household income	$81,102	$95,088	$82,044
Typical home value	$500,000	$536,000	$415,000
Mean commute	20.0 min	23.6 min	25.6 min
School districts	Mostly Boise School District; parts of west Boise are West Ada, and some south Boise is Kuna	West Ada; some south Meridian addresses are Kuna	Nampa School District; Vallivue in north and west Nampa
Drive to downtown Boise	You are in the city; most neighborhoods are about 10 to 20 minutes from downtown (approximate, off-peak)	About 20 to 25 minutes on I-84 (approximate, off-peak)	About 25 minutes, roughly 20 miles on I-84 (approximate, off-peak)
Good for	People who want to walk or bike to work, restaurants and events Outdoor lovers: the Greenbelt and foothills trails start in town Shorter commutes and the most bus routes in the valley	Families who want a newer home with a yard Quick I-84 access to Boise and Nampa Big parks, sports leagues and shopping close by	Buyers who want more house for the money than in Ada County People who want city services, shopping and a downtown without driving to Boise Families who want a large recreation center, parks and Lake Lowell nearby
Watch out for	Higher prices close to downtown and the foothills Wildfire risk in foothills neighborhoods and seasonal flooding near the river Older homes can need costly updates	Eagle Road and Chinden traffic, among the worst in the valley Car needed for almost every trip; very little transit Fast growth means construction and crowded schools in newer areas	Median household income is about $74,000 (2020 to 2024 average), well below most Ada County cities I-84 between Nampa and Meridian backs up at rush hour Two school districts serve the city; check the exact address

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Sources for these figures