City profile · Idaho · Census ACS 2023

Meridian, ID

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Meridian - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

124,865
Residents
$98,686
Median income
$485,000
Median home
$1,655
Median rent (state)

Meridian - the verdict

Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Meridian places in the 77th percentile for household income and the 76th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.

77th
percentile, household income
84th
percentile, home value
65th
percentile, median rent
76th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Meridian, ID

Idaho's Meridian is a mid-sized U.S. city, with 124,865 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Meridian households earn a median of $98,686 annually, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 4.5%. Meridian's housing stock carries a median value of $485,000, and the median resident age is 37.4 years. About 44.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 67.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 1,551 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 49% from five years earlier. Meridian reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 718.2 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).

Living costs in Idaho run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Idaho at 95.5 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Below Average). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,655 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $170 across Idaho, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Natural-hazard exposure scores 87.8 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Very High).

Population

124,865 residents

Census ACS 2023 - Idaho

Median Household Income

$98,686 /yr

Poverty 4.5%

Cost of Living Index (state)

95.5 (US=100)

Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, Idaho average

How does Meridian compare to other US cities?

Here's how Meridian stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 77% higher than other cities
Home value 84% pricier than other cities
Median rent 65% pricier than other cities
Safety 76% safer than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Idaho alone, Meridian ranks #20 of 53 Idaho cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

For each metric we count every US city with population 1,000+ and a non-null value, then compute what share of them fall below Meridian's value: round(cities-below ÷ total × 100). Safety is inverted (percentile = share of cities with a higher crime rate) so a higher number always means safer. The in-state rank narrows that same crime-rate comparison to only the cities PlainCities tracks in Idaho, breaking ties alphabetically. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.

77thIncome percentile
76thSafety percentile

77th percentile nationally for median household income · 76th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

Meridian's profile vs. every US city

Income, affordability, and safety percentile

Meridian's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown. 3-axis radar comparing 1 series across Income, Affordability, Safety. IncomeAffordabilitySafety 60 Avg. percentile National median
Meridian's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.

How Meridian's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$485,000 16th percentile more affordable than 16% of 15,600 US cities

$0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Below this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). This entry sits in this band. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Meridian $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

Income distribution context

Household income distribution - Meridian, ID Meridian, ID's reported median household income shown against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern (not Meridian, ID-specific quintile data). The Lorenz curve traces the national cumulative income share against cumulative population share, perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Meridian, ID median $98,686/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Meridian, ID's median household income (Census ACS 5-year estimate) plotted against the U.S. national income-quintile distribution pattern for context; the quintile shares and Lorenz curve are national figures, not computed specifically for Meridian, ID. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 44.4%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 4.5%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 67.7%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
124,865
Median Income
$98,686
Median Home Value
$485,000
Median Age
37.4
Poverty Rate
4.5%
Labor force participation
67.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
44.4%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
718.2
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
146.8
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
571.4
per 100,000 residents

Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.

Schools

Total Schools
46
Public schools in this city

Population Change

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
110,000 residents120,000 residents130,000 residents140,000 residents150,000 residents 202020212022202320242025 119,506 residents 142,988 residents ▲ +19.6%
Meridian's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized

📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
1,551
housing units authorized
Single-Family
1,385
detached homes
Multifamily
166
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
12.4
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 3,024
2020 2,530
2021 2,735
2022 3,071
2023 2,336
2024 1,551

Permit volume decreased 49% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
73.7%
Carpool
6.3%
Public Transit
0.1%
Walk
1.0%
Work from Home
17.2%
Other
1.7%

Based on 63,801 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Idaho - EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$80
avg/month
Natural Gas
$50
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$40
avg/month
Total Utilities
$170
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Idaho state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Cost of living is a Idaho state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Meridian sits in

Cost of Living Index
95.5
Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,655/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
87.8 / 100
Very High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)

Similar Cities in Idaho

Nampa
106,289 people
Idaho Falls
66,672 people
Caldwell
63,465 people
Pocatello
57,152 people
Coeur d'Alene
55,558 people
Twin Falls
53,219 people

Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide

Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Meridian's 124,865 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).

Vallejo, CA
124,637 people
Palm Bay, FL
125,273 people
Allentown, PA
125,320 people
Round Rock, TX
124,288 people
Concord, CA
124,260 people
Thousand Oaks, CA
125,676 people

Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide

Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Meridian's $98,686 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).

Lake Sarasota, FL
$98,689 median income
Lexington, IL
$98,676 median income
St. Paul Park, MN
$98,670 median income
Marshall, VA
$98,702 median income
Norwalk, CA
$98,709 median income
Woodlawn Park, KY
$98,661 median income

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity - Meridian, ID Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Meridian, ID - Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE, sums to 100% 84.3% 9.2% ETHNICITY, Hispanic or Latino (any race) 9.5% White 84.3% Black or African American 1.6% Asian 2.1% American Indian 0.4% Native Hawaiian 0.1% Some other race 2.4% Two or more races 9.2% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.

How Meridian compares to nearby Idaho cities

Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).

City Population Median Household Income
Meridian (this city) 124,865 $98,686
Nampa 106,289 $72,122
Idaho Falls 66,672 $69,630
Caldwell 63,465 $66,663
Census ACS 5-year FIPS ID FBI UCR NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Meridian, ID?

What is the population of Meridian, ID? +

Meridian, ID counts 124,865 residents according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Meridian, ID? +

Median annual household income in Meridian runs $98,686, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Meridian? +

BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Meridian; the closest available measure is the Idaho state average, a cost of living index of 95.5 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within Idaho vary by metro area.

Is Meridian, ID safe? +

Meridian has a total crime rate of 718.2 per 100,000 residents, which is below the national average. This reflects incidents reported to the FBI UCR program, not a definitive safety score -- agency reporting is voluntary and completeness varies by jurisdiction.

What is the median home value in Meridian, ID? +

A typical home in Meridian is worth $485,000, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

Verify with HUD →

Verify with FBI →

Verify with NOAA →

Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →

Verify with EPA →

Verify with FEMA →

Verify with BEA →

Verify with EIA →

Verify with NCES →

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.