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Salt Lake City's neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You've got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.
It seems as if there's a neighborhood for everyone in Salt Lake City.
And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in the country thanks in part to a strong economy and tons of entertainment, it's not all rainbows and sunshine in Salt Lake City. Some neighborhoods aren't as great as others.
So the question arises, which Salt Lake City neighborhoods are the worst, and which are the best?
Today, we'll use science and data to determine which Salt Lake City hoods need a little tender loving care - the sore thumbs of the Salt Lake City area if you will. Realistically, you can't expect all the neighborhoods to be amazing, although Wasatch Hollow ranks way above the rest.
We examined 19 of Salt Lake City's neighborhoods to find out the worst places to live. These places don't quite measure up to Salt Lake City's reputation.
The Worst Neighborhoods In Salt Lake City For 2022
So what's the worst neighborhood to live in Salt Lake City for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Poplar Grove looks to be the worst neighborhood in Salt Lake City.
Read on to see how we determined the places around Salt Lake City that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don't blame the messenger.
Once you're done, you can look at the bottom of the story for a complete chart of every neighborhood we looked at from worst to best. Looking for places to avoid outside of the city? You can also check out the worst suburbs of Salt Lake City.
For more Utah reading, check out:
The 10 Worst Neighborhoods In Salt Lake City For 2022
/10
Population: 14,748
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $120,346 (worst)
Median Income: $39,461 (3rd worst)
More on Poplar Grove: Data
/10
Population: 13,566
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $154,469 (4th worst)
Median Income: $40,190 (4th worst)
More on Glendale: Data
/10
Population: 8,426
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $160,662 (5th worst)
Median Income: $46,258 (7th worst)
More on Westpointe: Data
/10
Population: 5,805
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $177,625 (6th worst)
Median Income: $28,910 (worst)
More on People's Freeway: Data
/10
Population: 7,803
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $132,412 (2nd worst)
Median Income: $43,512 (5th worst)
More on Fairpark: Data
/10
Population: 10,556
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $147,438 (3rd worst)
Median Income: $51,215 (10th worst)
More on Rose Park: Data
/10
Population: 3,273
Rank Last Year: 7 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $234,325 (10th worst)
Median Income: $45,923 (6th worst)
More on Downtown: Data
/10
Population: 7,895
Rank Last Year: 8 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $241,773 (11th worst)
Median Income: $52,027 (11th worst)
More on Capitol Hill: Data
/10
Population: 10,087
Rank Last Year: 9 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $208,506 (7th worst)
Median Income: $37,548 (2nd worst)
More on Central City: Data
/10
Population: 3,074
Rank Last Year: 10 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $228,383 (9th worst)
Median Income: $49,139 (9th worst)
More on Central City-Liberty Welss: Data
Methodology: How we determined the worst Salt Lake City neighborhoods in 2022
To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We threw the following criteria into this analysis in order to get the best, most complete results possible. We used this set of criteria for each neighborhood in Salt Lake City:
- High unemployment (Less jobs)
- Low median income (Less pay)
- Low population density (No things to do)
- Low home values (No one's willing to pay to live here)
- High crime (Estimated)
Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Salt Lake City, Utah for each of these criteria from worst to best.
Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criteria into a "Worst Score".
The neighborhood with the lowest "Worst Score" ranks as the worst neighborhood of Salt Lake City.
Read on below to learn more about these terrible places around Salt Lake City to live. Or skip to the end to see the list of all 19 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased. Hold on to your pants.
Summary: The Worst Neighborhoods Around Salt Lake City
Well there you have it -- the worst of the neighborhoods in Salt Lake City with Poplar Grove landing at the bottom of the pack.
As we mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Salt Lake City aren't all bad. Wasatch Hollow takes the cake as the best place to live in Salt Lake City.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below.
For more Utah reading, check out:
Where Are The Worst Neighborhoods To Live In Salt Lake City For 2022?
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poplar Grove | 14,748 |
| 2 | Glendale | 13,566 |
| 3 | Westpointe | 8,426 |
| 4 | People's Freeway | 5,805 |
| 5 | Fairpark | 7,803 |
| 6 | Rose Park | 10,556 |
| 7 | Downtown | 3,273 |
| 8 | Capitol Hill | 7,895 |
| 9 | Central City | 10,087 |
| 10 | Central City-Liberty Welss | 3,074 |
| 11 | Liberty Wells | 8,248 |
| 12 | Sugar House | 31,233 |
| 13 | Greater Avenues | 16,047 |
| 14 | East Central | 20,893 |
| 15 | Arcadia Heights | 841 |
| 16 | Bonneville Hills | 3,489 |
| 17 | East Bench | 8,443 |
| 18 | Yalecrest | 3,768 |
| 19 | Wasatch Hollow | 3,188 |
