Boise City, ID vs Meridian, ID
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Boise City, ID outspends Meridian, ID by a wide margin per resident — $14,689 versus $7,134, a 106% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Boise City, ID edges Meridian, ID on the Fiscal Health Score by 5 points — 59/100 (grade C) to 54/100 (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 Meridian, ID carries $449 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 Meridian, ID at $745.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 84% of total revenue in Boise City, ID and 41432% in Meridian, ID.
Summary
Boise City spends 105.9% more per capita than Meridian ($7,555/person difference). Boise City, ID has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 59/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $600 | $418 |
| Income Tax | $1,689 | $102 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,281 | $4 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $905 |
| Other | $4,259 | $1,770 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,036 | $115 |
| Highways & Roads | $154 | $0 |
| Education | $28 | $0 |
| Health | $610 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $1,231 | $840 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,842 | $745 |
| Housing | $2,997 | $2,058 |
| Sewerage | $137 | $551 |
| Utilities | $1,636 | $972 |
| Other | $5,019 | $1,852 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.