NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: May 24, 2018
Information Contact: Janell Hyer (208) 332-3570 ext. 3220 or Georgia Smith (208) 332-3570 ext. 2102
Meridian was ranked the 10th fastest growing city in the nation at 4.7 percent growth in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s population estimates released Thursday. That’s up from 13th in 2016.
Meridian was also Idaho’s fastest-growing city with a population increase of 4,490 and it continues to be the second largest city in the state for the third year with a population of 99,926.
Boise remains the largest city with a population of 226,570.
Ninety percent, or 181, of Idaho’s cities experienced population gains over the year while six Idaho communities lost population. The population losses were small with American Falls experiencing the largest drop of 37 people. The remaining 19 communities saw no change. There were only 48 cities that experienced growth greater than or equal to the state’s growth rate of 2.2 percent.
In Idaho 3.5 percent of the cities have a population of more than 50,000 – Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Caldwell and Coeur d’Alene – while nationwide only 3.9 percent of all incorporated cities have a population of greater than 50,000.
These seven largest cities account for 37 percent of the Idaho’s population and 39 percent of the growth. Combined, the seven cities grew by 2.3 percent from mid-2016 to mid-2017, slightly above the statewide population growth of 2.2 percent.
Four of Idaho’s largest cities are located in the Treasure Valley – Boise, Meridian, Nampa and Caldwell. These four cities added nearly 12,000 people to the state’s population over the year with a growth rate of 2.6 percent.
The majority of Idaho’s cities – 167 – are classified as small and have a population of less than 5,000. These range from Soda Springs with a population of 4,413 to Warm River with only three people. These cities account for only 9.4 percent of the state’s population and contributed only 6.6 percent to its growth
Texas had seven cities ranked in the top 15 fastest-growing cities in the nation, with San Antonio first in growth and seventh in total population at 1,511,946. In the Northwest, only two cities ranked in the top 15 besides Meridian – Seattle at sixth with an increase of 17,490 bringing its population to 724,745, and Bend, Oregon, ranked 12th with an increase of 4.7 percent bringing its population to 94,420.
Updated information on Idaho’s labor market will be posted at lmi.Idaho.gov.
