Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment, is Utah a good place?
The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best counties to live in Utah.
Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Beehive State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been using Saturday Night Science to rank places for years.
The question becomes if you wanted to relocate to the best part of Utah, where would you go? To answer that, we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 29 counties in the state.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table | FAQs | Summary
The 10 Best Counties To Live In Utah For 2024
Morgan County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Utah. And you should avoid Piute County if you can — at least according to the data.
Now you know exactly where to move in Utah. Keep on reading for more about the top ten and a detailed methodology.
Or, check out the best places to live in Utah and the cheapest places to live in Utah.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The Best Counties To Live In Utah For 2024
1. Morgan County
Biggest Place: Morgan
Population: 12,367
Median Income: $120,854 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $652,585 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.7% (3rd best)
More on Morgan County: Data
2. Summit County
Biggest Place: Summit Park
Population: 42,524
Median Income: $126,392 (best)
Median Home Price: $1,206,305 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.3% (5th best)
More on Summit County: Data
3. Wasatch County
Biggest Place: Heber
Population: 35,009
Median Income: $104,855 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $847,494 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.4% (6th best)
More on Wasatch County: Data
4. Davis County
Biggest Place: Layton
Population: 363,032
Median Income: $101,285 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $524,366 (8th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.5% (8th best)
More on Davis County: Data
5. Utah County
Biggest Place: Provo
Population: 666,021
Median Income: $91,263 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $526,526 (7th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.4% (14th best)
More on Utah County: Data
6. Juab County
Biggest Place: Santaquin
Population: 11,943
Median Income: $88,048 (8th best)
Median Home Price: $414,011 (14th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.9% (4th best)
More on Juab County: Data
7. Rich County
Biggest Place: Randolph
Population: 2,543
Median Income: $69,250 (17th best)
Median Home Price: $567,671 (5th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.6% (9th best)
More on Rich County: Data
8. Tooele County
Biggest Place: Tooele
Population: 74,032
Median Income: $95,545 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $466,849 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.9% (20th best)
More on Tooele County: Data
9. Cache County
Biggest Place: Logan
Population: 134,428
Median Income: $72,719 (12th best)
Median Home Price: $447,722 (11th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.4% (7th best)
More on Cache County: Data
10. Box Elder County
Biggest Place: Brigham City
Population: 58,291
Median Income: $72,769 (11th best)
Median Home Price: $427,999 (13th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.6% (10th best)
More on Box Elder County: Data
Methodology: How do you determine which Utah county is the best?
To give you the best county in Utah, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we made assumptions about what’s in a “best county” and what isn’t. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best data sources on the internet. Namely, the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent period.
We paid particular attention to:
- Violent Crime Rates
- Property Crime Rates
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Unemployment Rates
- Adult Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We then ranked each county in Utah across each of the criteria from one to 29, with one being the best.
Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In Utah.”
The result is some of the safest, quietest, and best counties to raise a family in the Beehive State.
We updated this article for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best counties to live in Utah.
Read on to see why Morgan County is the best county, while Piute County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Utah.
Summary: The Best Counties In Utah To Call Home For 2024
Living in Utah can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
The best counties in Utah are Morgan County, Summit County, Wasatch County, Davis County, Utah County, Juab County, Rich County, Tooele County, Cache County, and Box Elder County.
But now you know the outstanding parts and the parts to avoid, and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome.
Here’s a look at the worst counties in Utah according to the data:
- Piute County
- San Juan County
- Uintah County
For more Utah reading, check out:
- Cheapest Places To Live In Utah
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Utah
- Best Places To Buy A House In Utah
- Best Places To Retire In Utah
Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Utah
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morgan County | 12,367 | $120,854 | $652,585 |
| 2 | Summit County | 42,524 | $126,392 | $1,206,305 |
| 3 | Wasatch County | 35,009 | $104,855 | $847,494 |
| 4 | Davis County | 363,032 | $101,285 | $524,366 |
| 5 | Utah County | 666,021 | $91,263 | $526,526 |
| 6 | Juab County | 11,943 | $88,048 | $414,011 |
| 7 | Rich County | 2,543 | $69,250 | $567,671 |
| 8 | Tooele County | 74,032 | $95,545 | $466,849 |
| 9 | Cache County | 134,428 | $72,719 | $447,722 |
| 10 | Box Elder County | 58,291 | $72,769 | $427,999 |
| 11 | Weber County | 262,960 | $82,291 | $442,870 |
| 12 | Salt Lake County | 1,180,643 | $90,011 | $537,415 |
| 13 | Washington County | 183,297 | $71,976 | $517,336 |
| 14 | Grand County | 9,680 | $59,171 | $587,341 |
| 15 | Wayne County | 2,532 | $64,870 | $370,509 |
| 16 | Kane County | 7,814 | $70,327 | $396,914 |
| 17 | Daggett County | 638 | $61,250 | $315,404 |
| 18 | Beaver County | 7,102 | $80,268 | $297,242 |
| 19 | Iron County | 58,068 | $63,005 | $405,593 |
| 20 | Emery County | 9,898 | $67,056 | $244,489 |
| 21 | Millard County | 13,027 | $69,403 | $313,586 |
| 22 | Sevier County | 21,667 | $66,972 | $306,765 |
| 23 | Garfield County | 5,121 | $56,481 | $323,808 |
| 24 | Duchesne County | 19,779 | $70,821 | $321,483 |
| 25 | Sanpete County | 28,816 | $64,356 | $352,505 |
| 26 | Carbon County | 20,338 | $53,734 | $246,701 |
| 27 | Uintah County | 35,951 | $67,983 | $317,327 |
| 28 | San Juan County | 14,524 | $52,108 | $324,933 |
| 29 | Piute County | 1,764 | $33,359 | $273,612 |