Work & commute · Boise

Work & commute in Boise, ID

62% of Boise’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Meridian (12%), Nampa (5%) and Garden City (3%). Half commute less than 5 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

62%

68,097 of 109,656 working residents

Typical commute

5 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

19 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

18%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 41,559 Boise residents head out of town to work, 68,097 work right here, and 108,403 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Boise.

41,559live here, work elsewhere

68,097live and work here

108,403work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Boise goes to work

Boise City (in town)right here

62%68,097

Meridian8.5 mi away

12%13,107

Nampa16.6 mi away

5%5,588

Garden City5.8 mi away

3%3,581

Eagle11.3 mi away

3%3,048

Caldwell21.6 mi away

1%1,420

Kuna10 mi away

1%733

Idaho Falls210.3 mi away

1%611

Twin Falls114.4 mi away

0%512

Coeur d'Alene284.9 mi away

0%397

Everywhere elseother towns and states

11%12,562

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far Boise commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

80%

12%

80%Under 10 mi

12%10–24 mi

1%25–50 mi

7%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Boise is a job hub

1.61jobs per working resident

A job hub

1.6 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.

The jobs

What the jobs in Boise are

176,500 jobs are based in Boise. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Boise’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Boise

176,500 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)13%

Trade, transport & utilities19%

Services (health, schools, offices…)68%

$1,250 a month or less13%

$1,251–$3,333 a month25%

Over $3,333 a month63%

Jobs Boise residents hold

109,656 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)15%

Trade, transport & utilities19%

Services (health, schools, offices…)67%

$1,250 a month or less14%

$1,251–$3,333 a month26%

Over $3,333 a month60%

+22%

Jobs based in Boise, 2013 → 2023: 144,549 → 176,500. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.