1. Cities of the United States
  2. The West
  3. Idaho

IDAHO

Boise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317

Nampa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327

Idaho

The State in Brief

Nickname: Gem State

Motto: Esto perpetua (Let it be perpetual)

Flower: Syringa

Bird: Mountain bluebird

Area: 83,570 square miles (2000; U.S. rank: 14th)

Elevation: Ranges from 710 feet to 12,662 feet above sea level

Climate: Tempered by Pacific westerly winds, varying by altitude; hot summers in the arid south, cold snowy winters in the central and northern mountains

Admitted to Union: July 3, 1890

Capital: Boise

Head Official: Governor Dirk Kempthorne (R) (until 2007)

Population

1980: 944,000

1990: 1,006,749

2000: 1,293,953

2004 estimate: 1,393,262

Percent change, 1990–2000: 28.5%

U.S. rank in 2004: 39th

Percent of residents born in state: 47.2% (2000)

Density: 15.6 people per square mile (2000)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 42,547

Racial and Ethnic Characteristics (2000)

White: 1,177,304

Black or African American: 5,456

American Indian and Alaska Native: 17,645

Asian: 11,889

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 1,308

Hispanic or Latino (may be of any race): 101,690

Other: 54,742

Age Characteristics (2000)

Population under 5 years old: 97,643

Population 5 to 19 years old: 316,222

Percent of population 65 years and over: 11.3%

Median age: 33.2 years (2000)

Vital Statistics

Total number of births (2003): 21,823

Total number of deaths (2003): 10,466 (infant deaths,158)

AIDS cases reported through 2003: 274

Economy

Major industries: Mining, lumbering, agriculture, high technology, tourism

Unemployment rate: 4.1% (February 2005)

Per capita income: $25,583 (2003; U.S. rank: 46th)

Median household income: $40,230 (3-year average,2001-2003)

Percentage of persons below poverty level: 11.8%(1999)

Income tax rate: Ranges from 1.6% to 7.8%

Sales tax rate: 6.0%