Economic Development Data for Boise

Boise Population

218,978 people live within the city limits

Approximately 325,794 employees reside within 45-minute drive

Median Age, 2011: 34.7

Area: 64.0 sq. mi

Elevation: 2512 ft. above sea level

Average household income, 2011, est.: $89,886
Median household income, 2011, est.: $64,433
Average home price, 2011: $164,900
Per capita income, 2011: $37,430
Cost of living index, 2011: 94.0

Educated Workforce

Boise School District

94.9% high school graduation rate

Boise State University

In 2011-2012 Boise State conferred 4,378 degrees, including 196 associate, 175 certificate 3,330 baccalaureate, 664 master's and 13 doctorate degrees
Boise State is the largest university in Idaho with 22,678 students
203 academic programs are offered in the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business and Economics, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health Sciences, and Social Sciences and Public Affairs
Employs 2,147 benfit-eligible and 1,122 temporary non-benefit people

	Undergraduate Enrollment for 2011 - 2012
	Communication - 860
	Psychology - 822
	Criminal Justice - 759
	Biological Sciences - 759
	Health Science Studies - 657
	Nursing - 651
	General Business - 637
	Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering - 576
	Secondary Education (various subjects)- 569
	English - 521

	Graduate Enrollment for 2011 - 2012
	Educational Technology - 474
	Social Work - 197
	Business Administration - 183
	Instructional and Performance Technology - 173
	Public Policy and Administration -173

University of Idaho – Boise

The University of Idaho Boise is a graduate, research, and professional development center and is part of the larger University of Idaho Land Grant system based in Moscow, Idaho.

In 2011- 2012 the University of Idaho Boise conferred over 120 academic degrees and certificates, including 1 baccalaureate, 72 master's, 12 specialist and 8 doctorate degrees, and 27 Juris Doctor degrees
The University of Idaho Boise annually serves over 1200 academic students and over 1300 professionals in non-credit development programs.
The University of Idaho Boise offers over 40 graduate degrees, academic certificates, and professional development programs.
In the Boise Center proper, the University of Idaho employs 130 faculty, staff, and researchers with another 17 Extension faculty and staff in the Extension Office in Boise. Under the UI Boise umbrella, there are approximately an additional 40 University of Idaho Extension faculty, staff, and researchers that work in the Southern Idaho region.
- Focus areas are:
  Internationally-recognized research scientists and facilities, primarily in water, river management, and ecology
  Graduate degrees in Architecture, Education, Engineering, Law, Natural Resources, and Environmental Science
  Community outreach in Agriculture, Energy, Youth Development, and Community Sustainability and Design
  Collaborative partnerships in Medical Education (WWAMI), Energy Studies (CAES), TechHelp, TRiO Educational Opportunity, and K-12 Science and Technology Education (i-STEM)

College of Western Idaho - Regional Community College

Opened January 2008

Labor Market Information

Workforce Trends

Economy

Market Access

Freeways – I-84 provides quick access to downtown Boise, surrounding cities and airport facilities

Rail – Boise City owns 18.2 miles of the Boise Cut-off, extending rail access into industrially-zoned
areas near the airport and south of the city

BOI – Boise Airport

Less than 10 minutes from downtown Boise
Less than 1 hr. 30 minutes by air to Seattle, Portland, Bay Area, Reno, Salt Lake City
Less than 2 hr. 30 minutes by air to Denver, Los Angles, Phoenix
5 major airlines, with direct flights to several major cities

Low Cost of Business

Energy

Second lowest in energy costs in the western states
Hydropower is dominant source of electricity in the region
Much of downtown Boise is heated by geothermal energy

Taxes

Corporate income tax rate 7.6
Individual income tax is graduated from 1.6 to 7.8%
Average property tax rate is 1.9% (one of the lowest in the US)
Retail sales are taxed at 6%
Unemployment taxes

Development Project Permitting

On average, less than 5 days for small- and medium-sized projects
On average, under 4 weeks for major projects

Project Management

The city has implemented a project management program for certain qualifying projects in which a specialist is assigned to the project to help the company smoothly navigate the permitting process.

Commitment to the Environment

The new City Hall West will likely attain LEED-silver certification, the third newly opened branch library is LEED-gold
The City substantially improved its residential curb side recycling program to increase number of participants and decrease the amount of waste going to the county landfill
The City sponsors the Idaho Green Expo, a two-day exposition that provides attendees with valuable information about reducing their carbon footprint
The City owns farmland on which it grows switchgrass that is sold for biomass fuels
Boise has the largest municipal geothermal system in the country, and are expanding it across the Boise River to heat most of the Boise State Campus

Boise Facts

Area: 64.0 sq. mi
Elevation: 2512 feet above sea level
Sunny Days: 210

Average summer high temp: 90.6 F
Average winter low temp: 36 F
Annual precipitation: 12.11

Amenities

Parks

137 parks
22.5 miles of greenbelt pathways

Trails

125 miles of trail in the foothills are available for mountain biking and hiking

Open Space

2400 acres of open space

Recreation:

Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation is only 16.5 miles from downtown Boise, featuring 2600 acres of downhill skiing and 35 km of Nordic trails in the winter, and a disc golf course and hiking and biking trails in the spring, summer and fall

Downtown

Parking

First Hour Free in the Central Parking District
6 covered parking garage locations near shopping and restaurants
800,000 annual parking visits
Monthly parking rates $100
Surface lot parking available
All Available parking

Business Climate

Largest dynamic, prosperous, vibrant urban center within a 300-mile radius
Center of government, business, culture and entertainment for over 460,000 people
Employs 29,959 people
Home to more than 700 businesses that range from major employers to the entrepreneur
Business incubators focus on entrepreneurship and innovation in high-tech
Home to over 300 retail and service businesses – 81% locally owned, 101 restaurants – 76% locally owned
Home to Boise State University; 22,678 students
The technology sector contributes more to Idaho’s gross economy than agriculture, timber and mining combined

Pedestrian & Bicycle Counts

Map - pedestrian & bicycle count locations
Pedestrian & bicycle count numbers only summary
Full Reports: May 2012, December 2011, October 2011, May 2011, December 2010, October 2010, August 2010, May 2010, December 2009, October 2009, August 2009

Recent Development

265 new residential units completed since 2007
356,235 of new office square footage since 2005
183,869 of new retail square footage since 2005
Idaho’s first LEED Platinum office building – Banner Bank Building
Renovated 112-room luxury boutique hotel and an ultra-modern remodeled 1960s motel
Mercy Housing's 52 one-bedroom apartments for low-income seniors 2011
River Park Place - Whole Foods and Walgreens 2012
Concordia Law School 2012

Residential

3,974 residents live in downtown Boise
2,761 housing units
2,251 multi-family units

Office and Retail

Downtown in 2013 has approximately 288,625 SF of direct vacant A, B and C office and 96,357 sublease space
Total inventory is 3,701,536 SF - 20% of the total market
Class A vacancy is 10% with 383,891 SF inventory
Lower vacancy rates than the overall Boise Valley
Average full service asking rents in 2012 were:
- Class A – 19.83
- Class B – 16.12
- Class C – 11.75
- Overall – 17.45
Current retail vacancy rate downtown is 5%

Total downtown retail inventory is 751,589 SF

	National Retailers
	Loft
	Anthropologie
	Chico's
	Helly Hansen
	Jos A Bank
	Office Depot
	The North Face
	Title Nine
	Urban Outfitters
	White House - Black Market
	lululemon athletica
	Go Lite
	Tom James Co

	National or Regional Restaurants
	Old Chicago
	Bonefish Grill
	PF Changs China Bistro
	Old Spaghetti Factory
	Ben & Jerry's
	Costa Vida
	Jimmy Johns Gourmet Sandwiches
	Pita Pit
	10 Barrel Brewing Co. (coming in April 2013)
	Blimpies
	Thomas Hammer
	Proto's Pizza
	Lucky Fins (coming in June)
	Five Guys Burgers and Fries
	Flatbread Neapolitan Pizzeria
	Caffe Capri
	Caffe D'Arte
	The Melting Pot
	The Matador
	Wiseguy Pizza Pie
	Subway

Visitors & Tourism

85,000-foot convention center hosts close to 250,000 event participants each year
5,000-seat event center is home to 3 professional sports teams and hosts latest touring concert artists
1,469 downtown hotel rooms
20 golf courses within 20 miles of downtown
45 minutes from Bogus Basin Ski Resort
45 minutes from white water rafting on the Payette River