Boise, Idaho
| Boise, Idaho | |
 | |
| General information | |
Mayor of Boise Lauren McLean | |
| Last mayoral election: | 2023 |
| Next mayoral election: | 2027 |
| Last city council election: | 2025 |
| Next city council election: | 2027 |
| City council seats: | 6 |
| City website | |
| Composition data | |
| Population: | 235,684 |
| Race: | White 81.2% African American 2.3% Asian 3.6% Native American 0.7% Pacific Islander 0.3% Multiple 8.5% |
| Ethnicity: | Hispanic or Latino origin 9% |
| Median household income: | $81,308 |
| High school graduation rate: | 94.8% |
| College graduation rate: | 46.6% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau,2020 census and2023 ACS data. Percentages are rounded to the nearest 0.1%. | |
| Related Boise offices | |
| Idaho Congressional Delegation Idaho State Legislature Idaho state executive offices | |
Boise is a city inAda County, Idaho. The city's population was 235,684 as of 2020, according to theUnited States Census Bureau.
Click on the links below to learn more about the city's...
- Mayor
- City council
- Other elected officials
- Elections
- Census information
- Budget
- Contact information
- Ballot measures
- County government
City government
- See also:Mayor-council government
The city of Boise utilizes a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.[1]
Mayor
The mayor is the city's chief executive. The responsibilities of the mayor include proposing a budget, signing legislation into law, appointing departmental directors, and overseeing the city's day-to-day operations. While the mayor presides over city council meetings, he or she only votes in cases of a tie. The mayor also represents the city on the state, national, and international levels.[1][2] The current Mayor of Boise isLauren McLean (nonpartisan). McLean assumed office in 2020.
City council
The Boise City Council is the city's primary legislative body. It is responsible for adopting the city budget, approving mayoral appointees, levying taxes, and making or amending city laws, policies, and ordinances.[1]
The city council is made up of six members. During the 2020 state legislative session, theIdaho State Legislature passed legislation that required cities like Boise to create districts for city council elections. Since the 2021 election, city council members are elected in by-district elections instead of being elected at large.[3]
The widget below automatically displays information about city council meetings. The topic list contains a sampling of keywords thatVoterheads, a local government monitoring service, found in each meeting agenda. Click the meeting link to see more info and the full agenda:
Special districts
- See also:Special districts
Special districts are a form of local government that exist to fulfill a specific purpose within a certain geographic area. This region can be as large as a county or smaller than a city block. Special districts have the power to tax their local residents in order to fund operational expenditures. Although a special district may be formed for any stated purpose, the most common examples include library, hospital, transportation, airport, utility, conservation, sanitation, fire control, and flood control districts.
Greater Boise Auditorium District
West Boise Sewer District
Boise Warm Springs Water District
Meridian Cemetery District
Other elected officials
Ballotpedia does not cover any additional city officials in Boise, Idaho.
Mayoral partisanship
Boise has a Democratic mayor. As of February 2026, 67 mayors in thelargest 100 cities by population are affiliated with theDemocratic Party, 22 are affiliated with theRepublican Party, one is affiliated with theLibertarian Party, three are independents, five identify as nonpartisan or unaffiliated, and two mayors' affiliations are unknown.Click here for a list of the 100 largest cities' mayors and their partisan affiliations.
Mayoral elections are officially nonpartisan in most of the nation's largest cities. However, many officeholders are affiliated with political parties. Ballotpedia uses one or more of the following sources to identify each officeholder's partisan affiliation: (1) direct communication from the officeholder, (2) current or previous candidacy for partisan office, or (3) identification of partisan affiliation by multiple media outlets.
Elections
2025
The city ofBoise, Idaho, held general elections for the Greater Boise Auditorium District board and West Boise Sewer District board on May 20, 2025. The Boise Warm Springs Water District board election was canceled after only two candidates filed for two seats. The filing deadline for the election was March 21, 2025.
The city also held general elections for three city council seats and a cemetery district board on November 4, 2025. The filing deadline for this election was September 5, 2025.
2023
The city ofBoise, Idaho, was scheduled to hold a general election for the Greater Boise Auditorium District board, Boise Warm Springs Water District board, and West Boise Sewer District board on May 16, 2023. The filing deadline for this election was March 17, 2023.
The city also held a general election for mayor, city council, and a cemetery district board on November 7, 2023. The filing deadline for this election was September 8, 2023.
2021
The city ofBoise, Idaho, held general elections for city council on November 2, 2021. The filing deadline for this election was September 3, 2021.
The Greater Boise Auditorium District held a nonpartisan election for one member on May 18, 2021. The filing deadline to run in this election was March 19, 2021.
2019
2017
The city ofBoise, Idaho, held elections for city council on November 7, 2017. Three of the six seats on the city council were up for election. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was September 8, 2017.[4]
The GreaterBoise Auditorium District (GBAD) held nonpartisan elections for two of five members of its board of directors on May 16, 2017. All GBAD directors are electedat large and serve six-year terms. The filing deadline to run in this election was March 17, 2017.[5][6]
2015
The city ofBoise, Idaho, held elections formayor and city council onNovember 3, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was September 4, 2015. Three of the six city council seats were up for election.
Census information
The table below shows demographic information about the city.
| Demographic Data for Boise | |
|---|---|
| Boise | |
| Population | 235,684 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 84 |
| Race and ethnicity** | |
| White | 83.6% |
| Black/African American | 1.4% |
| Asian | 3.3% |
| Native American | 0.7% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.3% |
| Other (single race) | 3% |
| Multiple | 7.6% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 9.5% |
| Education | |
| High school graduation rate | 94.8% |
| College graduation rate | 46.6% |
| Income | |
| Median household income | $81,308 |
| Persons below poverty level | 10.6% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau,"Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau,"American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2018-2023). | |
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the censushere. | |
Budget
The city's budget process operates by fiscal years running from October 1 to September 30 of the next year. The mayor is responsible for proposing the budget to the city council. The city council holds hearings to allow for public input in the budget process. The city council must then approve or amend the budget.[7]
Fiscally standardized cities data
The fiscally standardized cities (FiSC) data below was compiled by theLincoln Institute of Land Policy to make municipal budgets comparable across cities in the United States.[8]
| “ | FiSCs are constructed by adding revenues and expenditures of each central city municipal government to a portion of the revenues and expenditures of overlying governments, including counties, independent school districts, and special districts. The allocations to FiSCs are estimates of the revenues collected from and services provided to central city residents and businesses by these overlying independent governments. Thus FiSCs provides a full picture of revenues raised from city residents and businesses and spending on their behalf, whether done by the city government or a separate overlying government.[9] | ” |
| —Lincoln Institute of Land Policy[10] | ||
The tables below show estimated finances within city limits. As such, the revenue and expenses listed may differ from the actual city budget.
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Historical total revenue and expenditure
To see the historical total revenue or expenditures as a rounded amount in this city, hover over the bars.[8]
Boise, Idaho, salaries and pensions over $95,000
Below is a map of the nationwide salaries and pensions in this city over $95,000. To search a different ZIP code, enter it in the search bar within the map.
Contact information
Mayor's office
Boise City Hall
150 N Capitol Blvd.
Boise, ID 83702
Phone: 208-972-8520
City Clerk's office
Boise City Hall
150 N Capitol Blvd.
Boise, ID 83702
Phone: 208-972-8150
Clickhere for city council contact information.
Ballot measures
- See also:Ada County, Idaho ballot measures
The city of Boise is inAda County. A list of ballot measures in Ada County is availablehere.
Noteworthy events
2020: Events and activity following the death of George Floyd
During the weekend of May 29-31, 2020, demonstrations and protests took place in cities nationwide, including Boise, following the death of George Floyd. Events inBoise, Idaho, took place at the Idaho State Capitol on Sunday, May 31, 2020.[11] No curfews were issued. The national guard was not deployed.
2015: Study on city's nondiscrimination laws
In July 2015, theMovement Advancement Project described Boise, Idaho, as a city or county that prohibited discrimination in employment on the basis of gender identity via ordinances that apply to public andprivate employers. At that time, a total of71 ofAmerica's largest 100 cities prohibited private employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation, while69 of those cities also prohibited discrimination based on gender identity. This did not include those jurisdictions that prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity for government employees.[12]
Nondiscrimination laws can cover a variety of areas, including public employment, private employment, housing, and public accommodations. Such laws may be enacted at the state, county, or city level.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑1.01.11.2City of Boise, "City Government," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑City of Boise, "Office of the Mayor," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑City of Boise, "City Council Election Districts," accessed September 15, 2021
- ↑City of Boise, "City Elections," accessed February 22, 2017
- ↑Greater Boise Auditorium District, "District Overview," accessed May 16, 2017
- ↑Idaho Secretary of State, "2017 Election Consolidation Calendar," accessed May 16, 2017
- ↑City of Boise, "2023 Annual Budget," accessed August 23, 2023
- ↑8.08.1Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, "Fiscally Standardized Cities database," accessed August 23, 2023
- ↑Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, "Fiscally Standardized Cities," accessed August 23, 2023
- ↑Idaho News 6, "People protest George Floyd's death at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise," May 31, 2020
- ↑Movement Advancement Project, "Local Employment Non-Discrimination Ordinances," accessed July 7, 2015
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