German Population in Idaho by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The German population in Idaho totals 308,832, with representation in every incorporated city included in this analysis. Leading communities are found in Boise City (42,869), followed by Meridian (21,266) and Nampa (16,098), reflecting a strong urban presence. Despite this broad municipal footprint, the statewide count exceeds the combined city totals - suggesting that many German residents may live in unincorporated areas or towns below the population threshold used here. The analysis below explores how German communities are distributed across Idaho and how this compares with broader patterns nationwide.

Top 5 cities with the largest German population in Idaho

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  • 1
    Boise City
    German population in Boise City is 42,869
    18.19% of Boise City population is German
  • 2
    Meridian
    German population in Meridian is 21,266
    17.03% of Meridian population is German
  • 3
    Nampa
    German population in Nampa is 16,098
    15.15% of Nampa population is German
  • 4
    Coeur D'Alene
    German population in Coeur D'Alene is 10,751
    19.35% of Coeur D'Alene population is German
  • 5
    Post Falls
    German population in Post Falls is 9,095
    21.80% of Post Falls population is German

Overview of German population in Idaho

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey show Idaho contains 308,832 German residents (16.3% of 1.9 million total state population), positioning the state at the 33rd percentile nationally among U.S. states for German population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census data records indicate Idaho's German population of 16.3% exceeds the national average of 12.6% by a factor of 1.3.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates Idaho contains 308,832 German residents, representing less than 1% of the nation's total German population of 41.8 million, constituting a minimal fraction of the national demographic community relative to the state's overall population size.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data shows Idaho's density of 3.7 German Americans per square mile remains below the national average of 11.8 per square mile, indicating relatively sparse distribution compared to national demographic concentrations.
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126 Cities in Idaho Ranked by German Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show German populations across all incorporated cities in Idaho, with no cities recording zero residents identified as Americans of German birth or descent. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Idaho ranked by German population count
Rank by German Population
City
German Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Idaho German Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Boise City 42,869 18.19% 13.88%
2 Meridian 21,266 17.03% 6.89%
3 Nampa 16,098 15.15% 5.21%
4 Coeur D'Alene 10,751 19.35% 3.48%
5 Post Falls 9,095 21.80% 2.95%
6 Idaho Falls 8,529 12.79% 2.76%
7 Pocatello 7,933 13.88% 2.57%
8 7,636 14.35% 2.47%
9 7,524 11.86% 2.44%
10 7,218 20.94% 2.34%
11 5,574 17.70% 1.80%
12 5,555 21.47% 1.80%
13 4,998 19.25% 1.62%
14 4,334 10.95% 1.40%
15 3,181 19.86% 1.03%
16 2,877 18.09% 0.93%
17 2,774 20.97% 0.90%
18 2,447 15.04% 0.79%
19 2,414 13.05% 0.78%
20 1,895 18.70% 0.61%
21 1,668 13.36% 0.54%
22 1,637 16.21% 0.53%
23 1,532 16.23% 0.50%
24 1,302 14.08% 0.42%
25 1,201 10.25% 0.39%
26 1,177 18.38% 0.38%
27 1,175 9.26% 0.38%
28 1,149 9.10% 0.37%
29 1,124 14.14% 0.36%
30 1,013 12.12% 0.33%
31 766 12.44% 0.25%
32 759 19.73% 0.25%
32 759 23.33% 0.25%
33 737 21.41% 0.24%
34 665 12.66% 0.22%
35 571 22.60% 0.18%
36 562 11.51% 0.18%
37 529 17.60% 0.17%
38 510 11.03% 0.17%
39 507 10.94% 0.16%
39 507 24.64% 0.16%
40 499 8.60% 0.16%
41 498 24.73% 0.16%
42 497 16.39% 0.16%
43 496 22.22% 0.16%
44 491 24.42% 0.16%
45 485 27.43% 0.16%
46 482 8.31% 0.16%
47 459 26.56% 0.15%
48 458 12.90% 0.15%
49 455 14.24% 0.15%
50 424 11.11% 0.14%
51 409 30.78% 0.13%
52 407 8.16% 0.13%
53 403 14.21% 0.13%
54 384 13.32% 0.12%
55 380 33.39% 0.12%
56 376 14.16% 0.12%
57 351 9.41% 0.11%
58 342 24.73% 0.11%
59 321 24.47% 0.10%
60 303 25.29% 0.10%
61 293 10.93% 0.09%
62 292 11.17% 0.09%
63 290 18.87% 0.09%
64 287 25.47% 0.09%
65 284 17.59% 0.09%
66 277 7.53% 0.09%
67 268 35.36% 0.09%
68 265 14.43% 0.09%
69 254 17.60% 0.08%
70 245 8.10% 0.08%
71 222 24.78% 0.07%
71 222 15.25% 0.07%
72 220 32.84% 0.07%
73 217 20.61% 0.07%
74 210 23.31% 0.07%
75 203 21.19% 0.07%
76 197 33.62% 0.06%
76 197 11.66% 0.06%
77 196 10.52% 0.06%
78 194 6.60% 0.06%
79 192 7.47% 0.06%
80 188 16.32% 0.06%
81 183 13.61% 0.06%
82 178 26.06% 0.06%
83 177 16.45% 0.06%
84 174 17.79% 0.06%
85 171 7.01% 0.06%
85 171 5.43% 0.06%
86 170 18.72% 0.06%
87 167 19.74% 0.05%
88 164 19.90% 0.05%
89 163 19.64% 0.05%
90 156 7.86% 0.05%
91 153 18.02% 0.05%
92 145 15.93% 0.05%
93 143 18.92% 0.05%
94 140 9.86% 0.05%
95 139 19.61% 0.05%
96 136 21.66% 0.04%
97 127 16.00% 0.04%
98 108 10.24% 0.04%
99 99 11.25% 0.03%
100 98 15.46% 0.03%
101 92 6.51% 0.03%
102 88 10.86% 0.03%
103 87 16.29% 0.03%
104 86 7.18% 0.03%
105 84 13.46% 0.03%
106 76 7.75% 0.02%
107 73 3.02% 0.02%
108 68 13.31% 0.02%
109 63 5.06% 0.02%
110 62 6.28% 0.02%
111 61 7.07% 0.02%
111 61 7.76% 0.02%
112 59 18.97% 0.02%
113 54 10.89% 0.02%
114 53 7.20% 0.02%
115 50 6.80% 0.02%
116 41 3.94% 0.01%
117 32 5.46% 0.01%
118 25 2.97% 0.01%
119 23 4.65% 0.01%
120 15 3.94% 0.00%
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks city in Idaho by their German population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines German population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having German ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as German alone, while others identify as German along with another race (such as German and German).
  • We’ve used the “German alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the German population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as German alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as German .
  2. % of Total Idaho German Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. German population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small German populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • City that don’t have any reported German population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where German populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.