Population 3,190 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Melba
Household size in Melba
| Period | Melba | Boise area | Idaho | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 3.17 | 2.75 | 2.72 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 3.24 | 2.79 | 2.78 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.73 | 2.75 | 2.76 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 3.05 | 2.71 | 2.79 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.12 | −0.05 | +0.07 | −0.03 |
Melba is a place of big households: 3.05 people per home on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. Numbers like that usually point to plenty of families with kids. Household size has dropped from 3.17 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Melba
| Period | Melba | Boise area | Idaho | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 36.2 | 34.6 | 35.5 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 36.1 | 35.8 | 36.6 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 37.2 | 37.2 | 37.6 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 38.7 | 38.4 | 38.2 | 40.1 |
| Change | +2.5 | +3.8 | +2.7 | +2.3 |
At 38.7, the median age in Melba is close to the national median of 40.1, so its age mix looks much like the country's.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Melba
| Period | Melba | Boise area | Idaho | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 3.9% | 10.5% | 10.0% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 4.6% | 10.4% | 10.2% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 6.4% | 9.5% | 9.3% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 5.2% | 9.3% | 9.3% | 11.6% |
| Change | +1.2 pts | −1.2 pts | −0.7 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are relatively rare in Melba: 5.2% of households, against 11.6% nationally.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Melba
Renters in Melba
| Period | Melba | Boise area | Idaho | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 20.3% | 29.5% | 29.0% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 25.8% | 31.9% | 30.8% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 23.3% | 30.3% | 30.0% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 18.0% | 27.5% | 27.9% | 34.8% |
| Change | −2.2 pts | −2.0 pts | −1.1 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 18.0% of households in Melba rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. Among homeowners, 39.2% have no mortgage at all, about the same as nationally.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Melba
| Period | Melba | Boise area | Idaho | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 15.8% | 7.9% | 10.4% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 9.3% | 7.2% | 11.0% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 6.1% | 5.6% | 10.5% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 5.4% | 5.6% | 9.3% | 9.6% |
| Change | −10.3 pts | −2.3 pts | −1.1 pts | −1.8 pts |
Only 5.4% of homes in Melba are vacant, far below the national rate of 9.6%, which usually means strong demand for housing. The picture is much the same across the Boise area.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Melba
| Period | Melba | Boise area | Idaho | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1989 | 1989 | 1982 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1988 | 1989 | 1984 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1990 | 1991 | 1986 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1994 | 1996 | 1989 | 1980 |
| Change | +5 | +7 | +7 | +6 |
Melba has newer housing than the country as a whole: the median home was built in 1994, versus 1980 nationally. The Boise area as a whole looks much the same.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Melba
| Period | Melba | Boise area | Idaho | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $655 | $884 | $766 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $771 | $921 | $820 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $773 | $1,075 | $941 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,170 | $1,700 | $1,407 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$515 | +$815 | +$641 | +$606 |
Rent in Melba runs $1,170 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. Rent takes 25.6% of the typical renter's income, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Melba
Bachelor's degrees in Melba
| Period | Melba | Boise area | Idaho | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 14.2% | 28.8% | 25.0% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 15.3% | 30.0% | 25.9% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 17.4% | 31.6% | 27.8% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 26.3% | 36.9% | 31.7% | 35.6% |
| Change | +12.1 pts | +8.2 pts | +6.6 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are less common in Melba than nationally: 26.3% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's or higher, against 35.6%.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Melba
| Period | Melba | Boise area | Idaho | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 83.4% | 89.5% | 88.7% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 84.5% | 90.1% | 89.3% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 90.3% | 91.7% | 90.8% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 84.4% | 92.7% | 92.1% | 89.3% |
| Change | +1.0 pts | +3.2 pts | +3.4 pts | +4.3 pts |
Nearly one in six adults in Melba never finished high school, more than nationally: 84.4% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% across the U.S.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Melba
| Period | Melba | Boise area | Idaho | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.7% | 7.7% | 7.0% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 10.0% | 8.4% | 8.1% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 3.4% | 4.3% | 4.4% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 1.3% | 3.2% | 3.8% | 5.4% |
| Change | −6.4 pts | −4.5 pts | −3.2 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Melba has been low: just 1.3% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well below the national rate of 5.4%. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Melba compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melba | 3.05 | 38.7 | 5.2% | 18.0% | 5.4% | 1994 | $1,170 | 26.3% | 84.4% | 1.3% |
| Mora | 3.12 | 32.9 | 7.7% | 11.3% | 6.2% | 2007 | $2,304 | 35.0% | 95.7% | 1.4% |
| Kuna | 2.92 | 35.3 | 11.9% | 16.8% | 4.2% | 2003 | $1,720 | 25.1% | 92.0% | 1.9% |
| Reynolds | 2.87 | 44.1 | 8.9% | 23.3% | 20.2% | 1991 | $1,285 | 14.6% | 80.3% | 0.0% |
| Nampa | 2.84 | 36.2 | 11.6% | 26.5% | 4.8% | 1994 | $1,538 | 25.1% | 89.5% | 2.9% |
| Murphy | 2.85 | 43.6 | 8.6% | 24.1% | 18.8% | 1990 | $1,246 | 14.1% | 80.1% | 0.2% |
| Marsing | 2.82 | 39.3 | 9.0% | 24.3% | 9.0% | 1989 | $875 | 14.7% | 75.6% | 0.6% |
| Meridian | 2.82 | 37.7 | 7.9% | 24.8% | 5.6% | 2008 | $2,190 | 43.6% | 95.9% | 2.7% |
| Knowlton Heights | 2.93 | 35.0 | 9.1% | 11.1% | 3.9% | 1999 | $1,664 | 10.7% | 87.5% | 11.2% |
| Caldwell | 3.05 | 33.3 | 10.6% | 24.8% | 4.9% | 1995 | $1,433 | 21.6% | 84.3% | 4.4% |
| Huston | 2.82 | 41.5 | 6.3% | 11.2% | 7.8% | 1992 | $1,073 | 21.3% | 87.1% | 0.5% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Corrigan, TX · Ghent, NY · Garden City, MO · Fowlers Mill, OH · Farmington, IL · Fair Haven, VT · Elkhart Lake, WI · Double Oak, TX · Coward, SC · Centuria, WI
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Melba. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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