Treasure Valley could reach 1 million residents by 2040

As Idaho’s population continues to grow, the city of Meridian is outpacing previous growth estimates.

Last year city officials estimated the population would grow to 150,000 residents by 2040. Now new data estimates from consulting firm Raftelis says Meridian is expected to hit that milestone by 2029.

Meridian started as a rural farm community that became a Boise bedroom community as the capitol city grew. Now the sprawling suburb is popping up on “Best Places to Live” lists and it’s grown bigger than Nampa, which was the state’s second-largest city until 2016.

Matt Stoll is the director of the Community Planning Associated of Southwest Idaho. He says the total population of Treasure Valley region, which includes Boise, Meridian, Caldwell and Nampa, is expected to surpass 1 million residents in the next 20 years.