Best PlacesCentral Bench, Boise, ID Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Central Bench, Boise, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Central Bench, Boise ranks 1,753rd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cheap car insurance by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Central Bench, Boise
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Central Bench, Boise's strengths and weaknesses
Where Central Bench, Boise ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Short commute17.1 minutes each way, better than 93% of neighborhoods
Where Central Bench, Boise ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 23% of neighborhoods
- Household income$65,446 median, better than only 34% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Central Bench, Boise
A household needs to earn about $93,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Central Bench, Boise home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $65,446, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Central Bench, Boise's effective rate of 0.54%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Central Bench, Boise
Central Bench, Boise runs younger than the country, though it still carries a larger-than-average share of residents over 65, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Central Bench, Boise.
Who works in Central Bench, Boise, and how
Work in Central Bench, Boise centers on health care & social and hospitality & food. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 68%
- Work from home 24%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in Central Bench, Boise
Central Bench, Boise has more restaurants and bars per resident than 67% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of Central Bench, Boise and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Central Bench, Boise, month by month
Central Bench, Boise sees roughly 118 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 97 degrees. January highs sit near 42, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 32° | 24° |
| April | 66° | 52° | 38° |
| July | 97° | 80° | 62° |
| October | 68° | 53° | 41° |
Flying in and out of Central Bench, Boise
Boise Air Trml/Gowen Field sits about 2 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 2.6 million passengers in 2025, with 59 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Central Bench, Boise
Schools across Central Bench, Boise average a C+, better than 46% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Monroe Elementary SchoolB · 45% proficient
- Hillcrest Elementary SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Jefferson Elementary SchoolD · 18% proficient
Top middle schools
- South Junior High SchoolC · 34% proficient
Top high schools
- Borah Senior High SchoolB · 46% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Central Bench, Boise school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Central Bench, Boise measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Central Bench, Boise against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Central Bench, Boise
Is Central Bench, Boise a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Central Bench, Boise ranks 1,753rd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, state finances, and biking, and lowest on distance from a big city and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Central Bench, Boise expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $368,727. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $65,446 median income, cost of living beats 45% of neighborhoods.
Is Central Bench, Boise safe?
Yes, Central Bench, Boise is safer than 82% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $314 per resident a year.
Compare Central Bench, Boise with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Central Bench, Boise. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Central Bench, Boise represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Central Bench, Boise detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Central Bench, Boise: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Central Bench, Boise: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Central Bench, Boise: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Central Bench, Boise: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Central Bench, Boise detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.