Elevation of Boise
2,700ft
above sea level · 823 m
Boise is the capital of Idaho and its most populous city, with 238,429 people. Of the 50 state capitals, it’s the 7th highest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 43.61° N · 116.20° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 43° 36′ 49″ N · 116° 12′ 12″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 11T · 564,276 E · 4,829,255 N
- Zone 11 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Mountain Time
- UTC−7 · UTC−6 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 238,429 people
- 86.1 sq mi of land · 2,769 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from July 2024: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Boise had 238,429 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 1.1% more than in April 2020, when it had 235,722. Its 86.1 sq mi of land work out to 2,769 people/sq mi; the state average is 25 people/sq mi.
It’s the most populous of the 236 places the Census counts in Idaho (cities, towns and CDPs), and holds 12% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Ada County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 1.8 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with other state capitals
Boise sits at 2,700 ft (823 m) above sea level. Of the 50 state capitals, the highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft). The average is 1,098 ft: Boise is 1,602 ft above it.
The highest point in Idaho is Borah Peak, at 12,662 ft according to the USGS: 9,962 ft above Boise, 126 mi away in a straight line.
- 7 Boise 2,700 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
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Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Boise.
What is the elevation of Boise?
Boise is 2,700 feet (823 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Boise?
Latitude 43.61350 and longitude -116.20345, in decimal degrees (43° 36′ 49″ N · 116° 12′ 12″ W). In UTM, zone 11: 564,276 E and 4,829,255 N, on NAD83.
How does Boise rank among the highest state capitals?
It’s the 7th highest of the 50 state capitals. The highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft).
What county is Boise in?
Ada County, Idaho.
Which is higher, Boise or Helena?
Helena. Boise sits at 2,700 ft and Helena at 4,048 ft: a difference of 1,348 ft, 289 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know