One of US’s safest, most affordable cities is in Idaho, but not Boise. Here’s the surprise

One of the United States’ safest and most affordable cities is right here in the Treasure Valley, according to a new report, but it isn’t Boise.

In fact, it’s Boise’s neighbor just to the west: Meridian.

A new study by personal finance resource GoBankingRates examined numerous factors, such as median household income, average mortgage cost, and crime rates, to determine the top cities in the U.S.

Meridian was not only ranked No. 8 in the whole country but as the top city in the northwest United States. Elgin, Illinois, topped the list, while 11 Texas cities made it into the top 25.

Meridian’s relatively low crime levels significantly affected the city’s top ranking. According to the most recent data available gathered from the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer shows that Meridian experienced 836 property crimes and 186 violent crimes in 2022.

Meridian’s property crime rate is the lowest among the top 20 cities in the rankings, and its violent crime rate is the 15th-lowest. The highest crime rate among the top 50 cities was Mesa, Arizona, which ranked 44th. The Phoenix suburb endured 9,081 property crimes and 2,193 violent crimes in 2022.

Meridian would have likely ranked higher, too, if it weren’t for the city’s relatively higher cost of living compared to the rest of the top 20.

According to data gathered from the U.S. Census American Community Survey , the average Meridian household income is $93,296, the 9th-highest among the top 20 cities in the study.

Meanwhile, Meridian’s monthly average cost of living is $5,058, which ranks fifth-highest among the top 20 cities. The cheapest cost of living can be found in Brownsville, Texas, which ranked 30th overall with an average cost of $2,940 monthly.

“Idaho’s cost of living is 1.4% lower than the national average,” GoBankingRates writes . “Some expenditures are less expensive than average, such as housing, utilities and healthcare, but others are higher, including groceries, which are 1% above the country’s mean price, and transportation, which is 5.2% higher.”

What other cities is Meridian ranked alongside?

Here’s the rest of the top 20 cities for safety and affordability, according to GoBankingRates:

1. Elgin, Illinois

2. Cary, North Carolina

3. Gilbert, Arizona

4. League City, Texas

5. Rochester, Minnesota

6. Sugar Land, Texas

7. Pearland, Texas

8. Meridian, Idaho

9. Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

10. Olathe, Kansas

11. El Paso, Texas

12. Virginia Beach, Virginia

13. Huntsville, Alabama

14. Sterling Heights, Michigan

15. McKinney, Texas

16. Frisco, Texas

17. Joliet, Illinois

18. Laredo, Texas

19. Fort Wayne, Indiana

20. Dearborn, Michigan

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