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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Boise City, ID vs Caldwell, ID

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Boise City, ID spends 46% more per resident than Caldwell, ID: $14,689 against $10,082. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.

Boise City, ID edges Caldwell, ID on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 59/100 (grade C) to 55/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.

Boise City, ID reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Caldwell, ID carries $116 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Boise City, ID at $1,842 per resident and in Caldwell, ID at $590.

Summary

Boise City spends 45.7% more per capita than Caldwell ($4,607/person difference). Boise City, ID has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 59/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Boise City, ID
Pop. 234,192
C
59/100
Budget Balance18
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency93
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Caldwell, ID
Pop. 61,212
C
55/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Boise City
Caldwell
Total Spending
$3.4B
$617.2M
Spending / Capita
$14,689
$10,082
Total Revenue
$1.2B
$0
Revenue / Capita
$5,075
$0
Total Debt
$0
$7.1M
Debt / Capita
$0
$116
Population
234,192
61,212
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Boise City$1,036
Caldwell$68
Highways & Roads
Boise City$154
Caldwell$62
Parks & Recreation
Boise City$1,842
Caldwell$590
Education
Boise City$28
Caldwell$43
Health
Boise City$610
Caldwell$206

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Boise CityCaldwell
Property Tax
$0
$390
Sales Tax
$600
$291
Income Tax
$1,689
$965
Intergovernmental
$3,281
$0
Charges & Fees
$0
$1,467
Other
$4,259
$2,417

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Boise CityCaldwell
Fire Protection
$1,036
$68
Highways & Roads
$154
$62
Education
$28
$43
Public Welfare
$0
$1,569
Health
$610
$206
Hospitals
$1,231
$351
Parks & Recreation
$1,842
$590
Housing
$2,997
$1,866
Sewerage
$137
$213
Utilities
$1,636
$2,255
Other
$5,019
$2,860
C
Boise City, ID
Fiscal Health Score: 59/100
Average fiscal health
C
Caldwell, ID
Fiscal Health Score: 55/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.