The 10 Worst Places To Live In Utah For 2021

The 10 Worst Places To Live In Utah For 2021

When you’re looking at the worst places you could live in Utah, South Salt Lake came in 1st. Let’s see why.

Welcome to the 4th most dangerous city in Utah. Is that surprising?

There were two murders here in 2021, and when you’re in SSL, you have a 1 in 122 chance of being raped, attacked or murdered yourself every year. Plus, you have a 1 in 13.4 chance of being robbed here as well.

Not only is there a lot of crime here, the residents here earn just about the lowest salaries in Utah, bringing in $47,813 a year combined. Education and home values are also far below the state average.

Roosevelt was founded in 1906. Can you guess who was president at the time? That’s right: Theodore Roosevelt. Lucky too, because the town’s original name was Dry Gulch. That just doesn’t have the same ring.

This community of 7,041 residents, located in the northeast part of the state, has a boom-bust relationship with the local oil reserves. Sometimes, the oil is pumping and life in town gets flush. Other times, wells run dry and the town suffers.

Currently, Roosevelt faces an unemployment rate of 8.7%, though those oil jobs help to support a median income of $63,479. Crime runs about 40% above the national average.

Tooele stands in the north-central part of the state, just south of the Great Salt Lake and about 40 minutes outside of Salt Lake City. The town’s economy chugs along rather nicely. The unemployment rate hovers at an elevated 6.0%, but the median income comes in at a healthy $63,851. Housing and education are relatively strong as well.

Still, Tooele ends up on this list. What’s the issue? Well, given its location, commutes are difficult. At the same time, crime presents a modest problem, with a crime rate slightly above the national average.

If you love spectacular mountain views and exciting outdoor adventure, you might want to plan a trip to Moab. It stands in the eastern part of the state, on the edge of the Arches National Park and alongside the Colorado River.

Unfortunately, the 5,268 residents of town can’t eat breathtaking views. And with an unemployment rate of 9.3% and a poverty rate of 13.8%, it gets tough to make ends meet.

Even with these problems, the real estate market prices many locals out of home ownership. The median home price in the region sits at $237,700, compared to a median income of $51,168.

Most of the towns on these worst lists earn their spot through a weak economy. Not Grantsville. The town, located about 40 minutes west of Salt Lake City, boasts a median income of $72,378 and an unemployment rate of 5.4%.

Still, the town has its share of troubles. Diversity is spotty and the distance from the city makes for a long commute. Also, a mild lack of amenities leads to inconveniences.

Of course, things could get worse. How much worse? Head to the town’s Donner-Reed Museum to learn about a group of pioneers who got stranded in the region and had to turn to canabalism. Now that’s a grueling commute.

Would you believe that Ogden is the 15th most dangerous place in Utah? That’s the case, as every year, you have a 1 in 27.0 chance of being the victim of a property crime when you’re within Ogden city limits.

In addition, every year, you have a 1 in 226 chance of being a victim of a violent crime in Ogden. That means raped, attacked or killed. Again, for Utah, that’s just unacceptable.

Beyond the crime numbers, Ogden’s unemployment rate is the 14th highest in Utah (4.8%), and homes are the 4th cheapest in the state ($170,100). Say what you want about ‘cheap living’, the fact is homes are priced on demand, and there’s not a lot of demand to live in Ogden.

If you’re familiar with typical weather patterns in the U.S., then you’ll recognize that “Hurricane” represents a strange name for a town in Utah. You know, a state that mostly consists of mountains and desert. (The name, by the way, comes from an incident when an early settler got stuck in a whirlwind.)

Hurricane lands on this list because of a sluggish economy, a high cost of living, and a shortage of diversity. The financial situation isn’t horrible. The area supports a median income of $55,190 and a 5.4% unemployment rate. However, this earning power makes it difficult for many locals to afford the $238,800 median home value.

A suburb of Salt Lake City, Midvale stands just 15 minutes from the center of the state’s biggest metropolitan area. This gives the local economy a major boost. The median income hovers at $60,216 and the unemployment rate comes in at 4.2%.

This financial good fortune comes with a downside, though. The cost of living makes it difficult for many of the town’s 33,318 residents. Services, groceries, and healthcare are all more expensive than the national average. At the same time, locals struggle to afford housing, thanks to Midvale’s $261,400 median home value.

Riverdale is just outside of Ogden. Remember what we said earlier about Ogden? Riverdale is a smaller, less intense version where unemployment is far above the state average, and income levels and home prices are far below Utah standards.

Riverdale has the 8th highest crime rate in the state. You have a 1 in 17 chance of being robbed here every year you live within its city limits. That’s a lot of stolen laptops and cell phones.

Here’s another suburb of Salt Lake City that winds up ranked among the least appealing spots in the state. And, once again, affordability represents the community’s major sin.

After all, the economy in town underpins a median income of $66,311. And the unemployment rate comes in at a respectable 4.2%. Diversity, housing, and education are all strong as well.

Then you get to the cost of living. Different story. In Taylorsville, you’ll spend more than the national average on groceries, healthcare, and transportation. At the same time, the median home value hovers at $239,400.