Meridian, Idaho - Demographics

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 34,919 people, 11,829 households, and 9,515 families residing in the city (although today, the city's population on street signs is 56,108). The population density was 2,962.1/sq mi. There were 12,293 housing units at an average density of 1,042.8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 96.3% White, 0.7% African American, 1% Native American, 2% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 1.9% from other races, and 2.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.7% of the population.

There were 11,829 households out of which 49% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.4% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.6% were non-families. 14.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the city the population was spread out with 33.7% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 37.1% from 25 to 44, 15.8% from 45 to 64, and 6.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $53,276, and the median income for a family was $57,077. Males had a median income of $40,360 versus $27,174 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,150. About 4.6% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.