Like all states, Utah has certain places that are going on hard times. These Utah places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.
Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in Utah.
To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 89 cities in Utah with more than 5,000 people.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Here are the ten poorest places in Utah for 2023:
What’s the poorest city in Utah? According to the facts, Moab is the poorest place in Utah for 2023.
This isn’t a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Instead, it’s just a look at the facts.
For more Utah reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Utah
- Cheapest Places To Live In Utah
- Most Dangerous Cities In Utah
- The poorest states in the US
- The poorest cities in the US
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Poorest Cities In Utah For 2023
1. Moab
/10
Population: 5,329
Rank Last Year: 2 (Up 1)
Median Income: $42,083 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 23.5% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 1,251
More on Moab: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Moab, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Utah thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.
The city of 5,329 people averages the lowest median household income in Utah and the 3rd highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.
2. Logan
/10
Population: 52,420
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 1)
Median Income: $46,761 (3rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 24.6% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 12,882
More on Logan: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
The second poorest city in Utah is Logan.
The city ranks as having the 2nd highest incidence of poverty and 3rd lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 48th highest in the Beehive State.
3. Provo
/10
Population: 113,538
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 1)
Median Income: $53,572 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 24.6% (highest)
People In Poverty: 27,909
More on Provo: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Placing as the third poorest city, Provo’s median income ranks as the 6th lowest.
And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 24.58178483988334% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.
But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Beehive State.
4. Price
/10
Population: 8,192
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 1)
Median Income: $45,429 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 17.1% (8th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,404
More on Price: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Price ranks as the fourth poorest place in Utah.
The town ranks as having the 2nd lowest median household income and the 8th highest incidence of poverty in the state.
That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.
5. Vernal
/10
Population: 10,037
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Income: $50,692 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 19.0% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,909
More on Vernal: Data | Cost Of Living
The fifth poorest city in Utah is Vernal.
The city ranks as having the 5th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 5th highest in Utah.
Still not the best news for Vernal.
6. South Salt Lake
/10
Population: 26,086
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 2)
Median Income: $50,589 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 18.2% (7th highest)
People In Poverty: 4,751
More on South Salt Lake: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
South Salt Lake ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Beehive State.
It ranks as having the 7th highest incidence of poverty and the 7th highest unemployment rate.
7. Cedar City
/10
Population: 34,246
Rank Last Year: 7 (No Change)
Median Income: $55,022 (8th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 19.0% (6th highest)
People In Poverty: 6,497
More on Cedar City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Cedar City places as the seventh poorest city in Utah.
The city of over 34,246 ranks as having the 6th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.
8. Ephraim
/10
Population: 5,671
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 1)
Median Income: $60,982 (12th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 19.6% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,108
More on Ephraim: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Ephraim ranks as the eighth poorest city in Utah.
The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as the 2nd highest in the state.
9. Richfield
/10
Population: 8,086
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 3)
Median Income: $53,836 (7th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 16.0% (10th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,293
More on Richfield: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Richfield couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Utah; it ranks number 9.
While the median income is the 7th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Richfield ranks as having the 10th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Utah.
10. Ogden
/10
Population: 86,110
Rank Last Year: 10 (No Change)
Median Income: $58,284 (10th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 14.3% (12th highest)
People In Poverty: 12,270
More on Ogden: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Utah is Ogden.
The city of 86,110 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Beehive State.
Methodology: How We Determined The Poorest Places In Utah for 2023
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.
However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “poorest places”. So we used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2017-2021 American Community Survey:
- Poverty Level
- Median Household Income
After we collected the data for all 89 places with more than 5,000 people in Utah, we ranked each place from 1 to 89 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Poor Score” with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Moab, crowned the “Poorest Place In Utah For 2023”.
This report has been updated for 2023, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in Utah.
Summary: The Poorest Cities In Utah For 2023
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in Utah, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Utah.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the richest cities in Utah, according to data:
-
Richest: Highland
2nd Richest: South Weber
3rd Richest: Bluffdale
For more Utah reading, check out:
- Richest Cities In Utah
- Safest Places In Utah
- Worst Places To Live In Utah
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Utah
Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In Utah
| Rank | City | Population | Poverty Rate | Median Income | People In Poverty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moab | 5,329 | 23.5% | $42,083 | 1,251 |
| 2 | Logan | 52,420 | 24.6% | $46,761 | 12,882 |
| 3 | Provo | 113,538 | 24.6% | $53,572 | 27,909 |
| 4 | Price | 8,192 | 17.1% | $45,429 | 1,404 |
| 5 | Vernal | 10,037 | 19.0% | $50,692 | 1,909 |
| 6 | South Salt Lake | 26,086 | 18.2% | $50,589 | 4,751 |
| 7 | Cedar City | 34,246 | 19.0% | $55,022 | 6,497 |
| 8 | Ephraim | 5,671 | 19.6% | $60,982 | 1,108 |
| 9 | Richfield | 8,086 | 16.0% | $53,836 | 1,293 |
| 10 | Ogden | 86,110 | 14.3% | $58,284 | 12,270 |
| 11 | Roosevelt | 6,757 | 17.1% | $62,375 | 1,152 |
| 12 | Hurricane | 19,501 | 10.6% | $57,409 | 2,061 |
| 13 | Sunset | 5,454 | 10.9% | $62,950 | 592 |
| 14 | Clearfield | 31,802 | 11.6% | $64,689 | 3,702 |
| 15 | Salt Lake City | 199,153 | 14.7% | $65,880 | 29,243 |
| 16 | St. George | 92,875 | 10.5% | $63,604 | 9,734 |
| 17 | Brigham City | 19,373 | 8.8% | $60,615 | 1,702 |
| 18 | Ivins | 8,786 | 10.3% | $64,786 | 906 |
| 19 | Orem | 96,734 | 10.5% | $70,412 | 10,143 |
| 20 | Riverdale | 9,279 | 8.6% | $63,079 | 793 |
| 21 | Midvale | 35,313 | 9.7% | $65,897 | 3,408 |
| 22 | West Valley City | 139,361 | 10.9% | $75,137 | 15,178 |
| 23 | North Logan | 10,705 | 13.8% | $76,709 | 1,474 |
| 24 | Washington Terrace | 9,215 | 8.2% | $65,253 | 758 |
| 25 | Nephi | 6,334 | 10.3% | $74,113 | 652 |
| 26 | Taylorsville | 60,295 | 9.0% | $73,325 | 5,436 |
| 27 | Enoch | 7,307 | 8.0% | $65,625 | 581 |
| 28 | Tremonton | 9,727 | 7.0% | $62,543 | 680 |
| 29 | Payson | 21,093 | 7.5% | $75,682 | 1,585 |
| 30 | Hyde Park | 5,116 | 9.4% | $82,787 | 481 |
| 31 | Hyrum | 9,330 | 7.0% | $73,971 | 655 |
| 32 | Murray | 50,183 | 6.8% | $72,524 | 3,398 |
| 33 | Springville | 34,750 | 7.7% | $76,982 | 2,670 |
| 34 | South Ogden | 17,363 | 6.8% | $74,724 | 1,183 |
| 35 | Smithfield | 13,263 | 7.4% | $79,321 | 975 |
| 36 | Vineyard | 11,579 | 7.8% | $86,355 | 902 |
| 37 | Providence | 8,199 | 8.2% | $89,167 | 672 |
| 38 | Roy | 39,076 | 5.8% | $76,611 | 2,272 |
| 39 | Layton | 80,858 | 7.0% | $85,224 | 5,695 |
| 40 | American Fork | 32,822 | 6.3% | $82,772 | 2,071 |
| 41 | Pleasant Grove | 37,228 | 6.1% | $81,850 | 2,257 |
| 42 | Tooele | 35,223 | 5.1% | $76,618 | 1,793 |
| 43 | Spanish Fork | 41,953 | 6.1% | $84,903 | 2,556 |
| 44 | North Ogden | 20,703 | 7.5% | $93,490 | 1,560 |
| 45 | West Jordan | 116,045 | 6.5% | $90,227 | 7,502 |
| 46 | Washington | 27,689 | 4.6% | $79,450 | 1,280 |
| 47 | West Bountiful | 5,871 | 8.8% | $110,906 | 516 |
| 48 | Harrisville | 6,858 | 4.1% | $77,426 | 281 |
| 49 | West Haven | 16,918 | 4.7% | $84,461 | 795 |
| 50 | Holladay | 31,738 | 6.4% | $97,911 | 2,024 |
| 51 | Grantsville | 12,331 | 5.0% | $84,923 | 616 |
| 52 | Woods Cross | 11,372 | 5.5% | $89,441 | 629 |
| 53 | Nibley | 7,160 | 5.3% | $90,188 | 380 |
| 54 | Santa Clara | 7,418 | 4.6% | $84,128 | 342 |
| 55 | Heber | 16,416 | 4.8% | $86,365 | 786 |
| 56 | Santaquin | 13,602 | 3.8% | $82,057 | 522 |
| 57 | Bountiful | 45,496 | 5.1% | $89,365 | 2,300 |
| 58 | Cottonwood Heights | 33,597 | 6.1% | $99,645 | 2,035 |
| 59 | Park City | 8,352 | 7.4% | $121,701 | 619 |
| 60 | Pleasant View | 10,733 | 6.1% | $110,687 | 651 |
| 61 | North Salt Lake | 21,411 | 2.9% | $84,661 | 627 |
| 62 | Eagle Mountain | 42,905 | 4.6% | $91,993 | 1,974 |
| 63 | Alpine | 10,209 | 6.9% | $138,438 | 702 |
| 64 | Herriman | 52,860 | 5.7% | $109,154 | 3,036 |
| 65 | Lehi | 73,911 | 5.2% | $108,669 | 3,855 |
| 66 | Salem | 9,097 | 3.6% | $92,250 | 328 |
| 67 | Saratoga Springs | 36,977 | 4.7% | $106,844 | 1,723 |
| 68 | Syracuse | 31,715 | 6.0% | $114,864 | 1,908 |
| 69 | Perry | 5,444 | 2.7% | $89,069 | 146 |
| 70 | Sandy | 96,272 | 4.1% | $100,749 | 3,944 |
| 71 | Plain City | 7,662 | 4.6% | $107,222 | 353 |
| 72 | Clinton | 23,192 | 2.9% | $90,397 | 668 |
| 73 | Cedar Hills | 9,975 | 5.2% | $117,984 | 522 |
| 74 | Lindon | 11,346 | 3.1% | $100,351 | 357 |
| 75 | Fruit Heights | 5,969 | 3.3% | $104,593 | 196 |
| 76 | Farmington | 23,990 | 3.5% | $107,559 | 828 |
| 77 | Draper | 49,978 | 4.7% | $116,977 | 2,331 |
| 78 | Centerville | 16,711 | 3.3% | $107,808 | 553 |
| 79 | Riverton | 44,773 | 3.2% | $107,674 | 1,440 |
| 80 | Hooper | 8,941 | 2.6% | $103,828 | 230 |
| 81 | Farr West | 7,581 | 1.4% | $98,088 | 102 |
| 82 | West Point | 10,963 | 1.6% | $103,975 | 179 |
| 83 | Kaysville | 32,438 | 3.2% | $110,700 | 1,024 |
| 84 | Mapleton | 11,226 | 3.1% | $114,449 | 351 |
| 85 | Midway | 5,881 | 2.5% | $108,672 | 146 |
| 86 | South Jordan | 75,617 | 2.8% | $111,774 | 2,108 |
| 87 | Bluffdale | 16,576 | 2.5% | $113,007 | 419 |
| 88 | South Weber | 7,801 | 1.6% | $120,365 | 125 |
| 89 | Highland | 18,913 | 1.3% | $156,136 | 254 |
