BOISE, Idaho — It's been nine days since we've reported on a national ranking/article about how great Boise is to live in, and yet here we go again. Today's ranking says the City of Trees is the second-best state capital for renters.
Alexandra Ciuntu at RentCafe Blog ranked each U.S. state capital to find out which one is the best for renters. Boise came in second place behind Lincoln, NE, thanks to low crime and the second-highest share of renters on the list.
"This modern-yet-quaint capital also earned points for the second-largest renter share on our list: 60%," the ranking claimed.
The study also claims that the median income in Boise is $58,300 and the average rent is only $1,179.
Just don't ask us how these random criteria mean our city is an ideal place for renters.
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Yes, the City of Trees is a great place to live but it might be a stretch to claim it's great for renters.
The reality is that the City of Trees and the rest of the Treasure Valley is experiencing a long-lasting and severe housing crisis.
The housing crisis in the Treasure Valley is so bad that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found that the Boise City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Ada, Canyon, Gem, Boise, and Owyhee counties, needs to build 4,000 new apartment units and 15,050 new single-family homes by 2021 to keep up with growth.
Last summer, a report found that someone in Ada County would have to make $16.77 to afford a fair market priced place to rent, more than twice the state's minimum wage of $7.25.
We could go on about how truly bad the region's housing crisis is, but we'd be preaching to the choir.
Devin Ramey is a digital producer and reporter for KTVB since 2018 and is a graduate of Boise State University. You can find him scrolling through memes and the news on Twitter at @KTVBDevin.
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