Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Garden City grades C+ overall, 36th among Idaho's 58 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 89% of U.S. towns. On the other side, its crime rate is higher than 83% of U.S. towns, with 71 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Garden City’s trail density is 1.4 miles per square mile, where Idaho’s towns sit at 0.8 and U.S. towns at 0.4. No town among the 43 in Idaho we compare has a higher violent crime rate than Garden City. Garden City is home to Boise Bible College.
Where Garden City beats most towns.
10,972 counted in 2010 and 12,316 in 2020; an estimated 13,047 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 6.1% since 2020, after 12.2% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Idaho), ordered by how far Garden City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 764 in 1950, 12,316 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1954 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Garden City. Close and well known come first.
7 mi Stadium & arenaAlbertsons Stadium
8 mi MuseumOld Idaho State Penitentiary
7 mi Stadium & arenaExtraMile Arena
6 mi Stadium & arenaIdaho Central Arena12 mi Ski areaBogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area117 runs · 1,792 ft vertical
6 mi GardenJulia Davis ParkAlbertsons Stadium: Iamneven, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Old Idaho State Penitentiary: Peter Wollheim, CC BY 2.5 · ExtraMile Arena: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 · Idaho Central Arena: mark6mauno, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Julia Davis Park: Karakorum9, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Garden City, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Garden City.
Garden City draws workers from Boise City and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Idaho rate.
9,986 jobs are based in Garden City, 2.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 7,425 in 2013 to 9,986.
Most working residents leave Garden City for work: only 8% work in town. 18% of workers work from home in Garden City, above both Idaho’s towns (9.9%) and U.S. towns (11%). Jobs based in Garden City grew to 9,986 in 2023, 2,561 more than in 2013.
| Garden City | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 18% | 9.9% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 8% | 23% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
One of its 3 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anser Charter SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 573 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ID on state tests and graduation
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Westmoreland Park | — | 5 |
| 2. River Pointe Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Riverfront Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Violent crime runs at 5.4 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Idaho rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its C−. At 38.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 100% of Idaho’s graded towns.
Garden City reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 83% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 10,513 U.S. towns with household incomes like Garden City’s, it is healthier than 91%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Garden City beats the Idaho average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 28% of adults feel lonely in Garden City. Among 59 Idaho towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Garden City.
| Garden City | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 79% | 73% | 79% |
| What stands out | Garden City | ID |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 10.9% | 16.2% |
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 69.6% | 61.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.5% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
People 65 and older are 26% of residents (17% statewide); children under 18 are 20% of residents (24% statewide). 39% of Garden City adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Garden City has grown 6.1% since 2020, to 13,047 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Garden City | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 26% | 16% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 25% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 25% | 22% |
| Median age | 42.3 years | 35.1 years | 40.5 years |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.2 points. Across Idaho, 49.7% of residents are women.
| Garden City | ID | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.5% | 12.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.2% | 11.6% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.5% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.6% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.8% | 13.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.2% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.4% | 11.7% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.1% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.7% | 6.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.6% | 8.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.8% | 26.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.6% | 24.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 4.9% | 9.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.2% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Garden City has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. The July high in Garden City is 93°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 2006, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Garden City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical value, about $474K, is 9% below its June 2022 peak.
The typical Garden City home is worth about $474,000, down 1.2% in a year, close to the Idaho typical home. Garden City’s median rent is $1,323 a month.
| Garden City | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 63% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,323 a month | $1,109 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
5 within 15 miles of the center of Garden City
About 3 of every 100 Garden City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Idaho.
Where Garden City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Garden City on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Idaho, United States
Garden City is a city in Ada County, Idaho. The population was 12,316 at the time of the 2020 census. Garden City is nearly surrounded by Boise but retains a separate municipal government. Garden City was named for gardens raised by Chinese immigrants who lived in the area. The name of the city's only main street, Chinden Boulevard, is a portmanteau of the words "China" and "garden." In the second decade of the 21st century, it became a haven for artists' studios. Garden City is part of the Boise metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Garden City.
| Town | ID rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garden City | #36 | C+ | C | C− | B+ | B+ |
| Boise City | #20 | B+ | C− | C+ | B+ | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Garden City grades C+ overall, better than 44% of U.S. towns and #36 of 58 in Idaho. It grades B+ for health, C− for safety and B+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 5.5 years of the area's median household income ($85,987 across the Boise City, ID metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
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