Is being in an area of Idaho that’s growing quickly a good thing or a bad thing?
Depends on who you ask.
Some want bigger, more exciting cities like Boise City and Meridian, while others want peace and quiet like in Shelley and Kimberly, thank you very much.
But today, we’re going to put opinions aside and look at the cold, hard facts — since 2010, which cities in Idaho have grown the fastest.
After getting knee-deep in the Census’s American Community Survey using Saturday Night Science, we emerged with this set of cities in the Gem State that have people climbing over each other to get in.
Idaho gained a net 19,915 people from other states in the year ending July 2025 — 9th in the nation for domestic migration; the full moving statistics breakdown shows who’s coming and going.
185.0% growth since 2010 · 9,572 net new residents
Located in
Canyon County, Idaho
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
104.7% growth since 2010 · 5,446 net new residents
Located in
Canyon County, Idaho
Middleton is a city in Canyon County, Idaho, United States. The population was 5,524 at the 2010 census, up from 2,978 in 2000. It is part of the Boise City-Nampa, Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
97.3% growth since 2010 · 13,394 net new residents
Located in
Ada County, Idaho
Kuna is a city in Ada County, Idaho, United States. It is part of the Boise City-Nampa, Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 15,210 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
88.7% growth since 2010 · 61,185 net new residents
Located in
Ada County, Idaho
Meridian is a city located in Ada County in the US state of Idaho. As of the 2010 census, the population of Meridian was 75,092 making it the third largest city in Idaho after Boise and Nampa. A 2015 estimate placed the population at approximately 90,739. Meridian is the state’s fastest-growing city, with an 81.5 percent increase in population since 2000.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
75.2% growth since 2010 · 14,103 net new residents
Located in
Ada County, Idaho
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
66.1% growth since 2010 · 4,329 net new residents
Located in
Kootenai County, Idaho
Rathdrum is a city in Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. The population was 6,826 at the 2010 census, up from 4816 in 2000. It is part of the Coeur d’Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes the entire county. It is named after Rathdrum in Ireland.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
65.7% growth since 2010 · 17,212 net new residents
Located in
Kootenai County, Idaho
Post Falls is a city in Kootenai County, Idaho, between Coeur d’Alene and Spokane, Washington. It is both a suburb of Coeur d’Alene, to the east; and a bedroom community to Spokane, to the west. The population was 27,574 at the 2010 census, up from 17,247 in 2000 census, making it Idaho’s tenth largest city. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated 2014 population is 30,123.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
65.4% growth since 2010 · 16,030 net new residents
Located in
Madison County, Idaho
Rexburg is a city in Madison County, Idaho, United States. The population was 25,484 at the 2010 census, up from 17,257 in 2000. The city is the county seat of Madison County and its largest city. Rexburg is the principal city of the Rexburg, ID Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Fremont and Madison Counties. The city is home to Brigham Young University-Idaho, a private institution operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
62.4% growth since 2010 · 1,963 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
53.2% growth since 2010 · 6,621 net new residents
Located in
Bonneville County, Idaho
Ammon is an edge city of Idaho Falls in Bonneville County, Idaho, United States. As of the 2010 US Census, the population of Ammon was 13,816.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Idaho’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Idaho’s growth is happening
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Gem State for 2026
To figure out which cities are growing the most, we used Saturday Night Science to look at the growth rates for cities since the beginning of the decade, according to the American Community Survey put out by the census every year. Specifically:
- Current Population
- Population in 2010
- Growth rate from 2010 to Current (the latest available data, which came out in Dec 2024)
We ranked all 36 Idaho cities with a population over 5,000 people from highest growth rate to lowest.
The city with the highest growth rate during this time was crowned the fastest-growing city in the Gem State.
And for those of you who are a little rusty with their statistics, you can calculate the growth rate by the following formula: [Current Population – Population 2010] / [Population 2010].
The data has been updated for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the fastest growing cities in Idaho.
The full plate
Fastest Growing Places In Idaho For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Population 2010 | Growth | Absolute Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Star | 14,745 | 5,173 | 185.0% | 9,572 |
| 2 | Middleton | 10,649 | 5,203 | 104.7% | 5,446 |
| 3 | Kuna | 27,158 | 13,764 | 97.3% | 13,394 |
| 4 | Meridian | 130,138 | 68,953 | 88.7% | 61,185 |
| 5 | Eagle | 32,855 | 18,752 | 75.2% | 14,103 |
| 6 | Rathdrum | 10,874 | 6,545 | 66.1% | 4,329 |
| 7 | Post Falls | 43,391 | 26,179 | 65.7% | 17,212 |
| 8 | Rexburg | 40,543 | 24,513 | 65.4% | 16,030 |
| 9 | Kimberly | 5,111 | 3,148 | 62.4% | 1,963 |
| 10 | Ammon | 19,064 | 12,443 | 53.2% | 6,621 |
| 11 | Caldwell | 66,516 | 43,749 | 52.0% | 22,767 |
| 12 | Fruitland | 6,663 | 4,566 | 45.9% | 2,097 |
| 13 | Rigby | 5,404 | 3,732 | 44.8% | 1,672 |
| 14 | Nampa | 110,319 | 78,322 | 40.9% | 31,997 |
| 15 | Coeur d’Alene | 56,447 | 43,096 | 31.0% | 13,351 |
| 16 | Sandpoint | 9,637 | 7,372 | 30.7% | 2,265 |
| 17 | Hayden | 16,338 | 12,783 | 27.8% | 3,555 |
| 18 | Twin Falls | 54,164 | 42,458 | 27.6% | 11,706 |
| 19 | Emmett | 8,275 | 6,513 | 27.1% | 1,762 |
| 20 | Jerome | 12,930 | 10,223 | 26.5% | 2,707 |
| 21 | Hailey | 9,665 | 7,790 | 24.1% | 1,875 |
| 22 | Chubbuck | 16,126 | 13,036 | 23.7% | 3,090 |
| 23 | Mountain Home | 16,493 | 13,550 | 21.7% | 2,943 |
| 24 | Idaho Falls | 67,725 | 55,653 | 21.7% | 12,072 |
| 25 | Burley | 11,958 | 9,882 | 21.0% | 2,076 |
| 26 | Shelley | 5,092 | 4,272 | 19.2% | 820 |
| 27 | Preston | 5,928 | 5,102 | 16.2% | 826 |
| 28 | Boise City | 237,242 | 206,481 | 14.9% | 30,761 |
| 29 | Garden City | 12,654 | 11,053 | 14.5% | 1,601 |
| 30 | Payette | 8,536 | 7,465 | 14.3% | 1,071 |
| 31 | Rupert | 6,190 | 5,423 | 14.1% | 767 |
| 32 | Moscow | 26,286 | 23,264 | 13.0% | 3,022 |
| 33 | Blackfoot | 12,782 | 11,524 | 10.9% | 1,258 |
| 34 | Lewiston | 34,651 | 31,683 | 9.4% | 2,968 |
| 35 | Weiser | 5,935 | 5,464 | 8.6% | 471 |
| 36 | Pocatello | 57,635 | 53,258 | 8.2% | 4,377 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS, 2010-current. 36 Idaho cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: These Places Grew Up So Fast In Idaho, You Know?
So there you have it, the fastest growing cities in Idaho are led by Star which has been growing at a blistering pace this decade relative to other cities and towns around the state.
The fastest-growing cities in Idaho are Star, Middleton, Kuna, Meridian, Eagle, Rathdrum, Post Falls, Rexburg, Kimberly, and Ammon.
It’ll be interesting to see if these places can keep growing at the same rate over the next couple of years. We’ll be here to let you know! Not sold on Idaho? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Fastest Growing Cities In Idaho FAQs
What is the fastest-growing city in Idaho?
Star is the fastest-growing city in Idaho for 2026, based on population change since 2010. Middleton and Kuna are growing nearly as fast.
What are the top 10 fastest-growing cities in Idaho?
The fastest-growing cities in Idaho are Star, Middleton, Kuna, Meridian, Eagle, Rathdrum, Post Falls, Rexburg, Kimberly, and Ammon. We ranked all 36 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
How do you measure growth?
Growth is the percent change in population from the 2010 Census to the latest American Community Survey estimates. No projections, no vibes — just how many more people actually live there now.
What is the slowest-growing city on the list?
Pocatello posts the smallest population change of the 36 Idaho cities we ranked. Slow growth is not automatically bad news, but the momentum is clearly elsewhere.
Do small towns count in this ranking?
Only places with more than 5,000 residents qualify, which keeps one new subdivision from turning a tiny town into a statistical rocket. 36 Idaho cities cleared that bar this year.
