Ada’s population passes half-million mark, but another Idaho county grew the most
Ada County’s population has surpassed half a million for the first time. It grew from 497,984 to 511,931 in 2021, according to new data in a report from the Census Bureau.
The county’s rapid growth will likely come as no surprise to anyone in the Boise area. It seems as though every person you meet just moved here, and we’ve got the least affordable housing market in the country to prove it.
California isn’t the sole reason for the influx. There are two ways a population can grow: net migration and natural growth. Net migration, meaning the number of people who moved in compared with out, accounted for 75% of growth in 41 of Idaho’s 44 counties, according to the report. Natural growth, meaning the number of people who were born minus those who died, accounted for the rest.
The report, which looked at growth between July 2020 and July 2021, showed Idaho grew from 1,847,772 residents to 1,900,923 in that time.
Ada and Canyon received 46% of the 53,151 newcomers, receiving 13,947 and 10,401 respectively.
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Small county, big growth
But is the Treasure Valley really growing faster than other parts of Idaho?
The Census Bureau data shows that it’s not the only place seeing an influx. Most places are seeing growth at a proportional rate, according to the Idaho Department of Labor. Every county in the state except Clark County, Idaho’s least populous, grew by at least 1%.
In fact, one of Idaho’s smallest counties was 2021’s fastest-growing: Boise County, home of historic Idaho City, grew by 5.8%, a larger percentage increase than anywhere else. It didn’t take much: The county went from 7,647 people to 8,094.
Fastest growing Idaho counties in 2021
Boise County wasn’t the only small county with big gains. While the country is trending toward urbanization, at least when it comes to percent increases, Idaho’s rural counties have the metro areas beat. There were five additional counties that grew by more than 4%:
Boise County — 5.8%
Lewis — 5.2%
Camas — 4.59%
Teton — 4.56%
Adams — 4.54%
Custer — 4.03%
This story was originally published April 18, 2022 at 4:00 AM.
