MERIDIAN, Idaho — A new U.S. Census Bureau report highlights most cities in Idaho growing - with some surprising exceptions.
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"Boise is seeing a little less Growth than what we anticipated. It was actually in the red. We saw people move out of Boise into other parts of town," said Anngela Musgrave, a local realtor.
The latest Census estimate shows Idaho's largest city decline in population from 2021 to 2022. Part of the reason might be due to the cost of buying a house in the area. Musgrave, who has been selling real estate for nearly 10 years in the Treasure Valley, saw that from 2021 to 2022, the medium home price increased more than 45% across the Treasure Valley.
"It grows from anywhere from 3% to 5% per year, that's an insane amount,” said Musgrave.
While they have seen a backslide in those prices, many, like Juliet Hansen, tell me while her heart was set in Meridian, she just couldn't make it work with her budget.
"I had to be able to compromise on location a little bit, so moving to Caldwell was what made it possible to actually get into a home," said Hansen, of her recent home purchase.
Caldwell was ranked #3 in growth in the state, with more than 5,000 moving to the city in the past three years.
Hansen ended up going with a new build, telling me it was more affordable to build her own home and get exactly what she wanted.
"I think, at the time, they had a $20,000 incentive. So sometimes, building can give you a better incentive than buying a house that's already built," said Hansen.
MONEY.com lists Idaho as one of the Top 10 stateswhere it's recommended to build your home from the ground up instead of purchasing an existing house due to high home prices.
