Most Americans have never been to small town Utah. However, as the Utahan who live there know, small town Utah is an awesome place to call home.
But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Utah has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using Saturday Night Science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Beehive State. Don’t freak out, we will use data to show which places have high crime, poverty, and unemployment.
After analyzing more than 76 of Utah’s smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Utah where you’d never want to live:
So what is the worst small town to call home in Utah for 2023? According to the most recent census data, Wendover is the worst small town to live in Utah.
While many of these small towns have seen better days, they have wonderful communities and people. This report in no way means to knock the folks that call towns like Wendover home. Everyone
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.
And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in Utah or the worst places to live in Utah.
If you’re looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Worst Small Towns In Utah For 2023
1. Wendover
/10
Population: 1,161
Median Home Value: $136,700 (3rd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 3.5% (32nd worst)
2. East Carbon
/10
Population: 1,524
Median Home Value: $64,200 (worst)
Unemployment Rate: 12.3% (4th worst)
3. Wellington
/10
Population: 1,439
Median Home Value: $132,300 (2nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 8.5% (8th worst)
4. Ballard
/10
Population: 1,511
Median Home Value: $174,000 (13th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 8.7% (7th worst)
5. La Verkin
/10
Population: 4,286
Median Home Value: $239,000 (35th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 4.6% (20th worst)
6. Salina
/10
Population: 2,488
Median Home Value: $174,600 (14th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 10.4% (6th worst)
7. Milford
/10
Population: 1,928
Median Home Value: $145,700 (5th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 10.5% (5th worst)
8. Fillmore
/10
Population: 2,550
Median Home Value: $197,300 (22nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 4.8% (19th worst)
9. Apple Valley
Population: 1,062
Median Home Value: $367,400 (59th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 8.4% (9th worst)
10. Hildale
/10
Population: 1,069
Median Home Value: $340,600 (54th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 7.6% (11th worst)
Methodology: How do you decide if a small place in Utah is lousy or not?
To rank the worst small towns to live in Utah, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. Assuming that people like low crime, solid education, things to do, and a stable economy isn’t a stretch.
We then analyzed the criteria using Saturday Night Science, the thinking you’d use at a bar. It seems like even your crazy Uncle would agree that a town with high crime is worse than a town with low crime; all else the same.
Using FBI crime data and the Census’s 2017-2021 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (The lower, the worse)
- Highest Unemployment Rates
- Low housing costs (meaning there’s no demand)
- Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
- Education (Number of high school dropouts)
- High Crime
We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which there were many – 76 to be exact.
We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets them from the cities. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.
We base all our research on facts, which is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2023, which is our tenth time ranking the worst small places to live in Utah.
There You Have It – The Worst Small Towns In Utah
If you’re analyzing teeny places in the Beehive State with the worst economic situations, where there’s high crime and there’s not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Utah, according to science:
- Silver Summit (Pop. 1,421)
- Mendon (Pop. 1,317)
- Mountain Green (Pop. 3,870)
For more Utah reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In Utah
Rank | Town | Population |
---|---|---|
1 | Wendover | 1,161 |
2 | East Carbon | 1,524 |
3 | Wellington | 1,439 |
4 | Ballard | 1,511 |
5 | La Verkin | 4,286 |
6 | Salina | 2,488 |
7 | Milford | 1,928 |
8 | Fillmore | 2,550 |
9 | Apple Valley | 1,062 |
10 | Hildale | 1,069 |
11 | Duchesne | 1,997 |
12 | Blanding | 3,343 |
13 | Parowan | 2,974 |
14 | Thatcher | 1,090 |
15 | Castle Dale | 1,375 |
16 | Mount Pleasant | 3,621 |
17 | Huntington | 1,978 |
18 | Hideout | 1,225 |
19 | Fountain Green | 1,128 |
20 | Delta | 3,568 |
21 | Garland | 2,559 |
22 | Spring Glen | 1,039 |
23 | Panguitch | 1,662 |
24 | Moroni | 1,239 |
25 | Kanab | 4,692 |
26 | Coalville | 2,152 |
27 | Benson | 2,005 |
28 | Gunnison | 3,656 |
29 | Enterprise | 1,516 |
30 | Helper | 2,558 |
31 | Manti | 3,460 |
32 | Ferron | 1,516 |
33 | Maeser | 4,222 |
34 | Stockton | 1,031 |
35 | Spring City | 1,069 |
36 | Kamas | 2,579 |
37 | Fairview | 1,382 |
38 | Beaver | 3,354 |
39 | Monroe | 2,497 |
40 | Riverside | 1,417 |
41 | Carbonville | 1,041 |
42 | Centerfield | 1,217 |
43 | Lewiston | 2,043 |
44 | Genola | 1,701 |
45 | Naples | 2,975 |
46 | South Willard | 1,567 |
47 | Monticello | 2,237 |
48 | West Wood | 1,068 |
49 | Elwood | 1,496 |
50 | Marriott-Slaterville | 1,934 |
51 | Willard | 1,813 |
52 | Honeyville | 1,665 |
53 | West Mountain | 1,398 |
54 | Mona | 1,871 |
55 | Wellsville | 4,036 |
56 | Lake Shore | 1,128 |
57 | Richmond | 2,881 |
58 | Elk Ridge | 4,475 |
59 | Oakley | 1,613 |
60 | Erda | 3,163 |
61 | Millville | 1,844 |
62 | Toquerville | 1,818 |
63 | Orangeville | 1,072 |
64 | Mantua | 1,075 |
65 | Benjamin | 1,018 |
66 | River Heights | 2,156 |
67 | Wolf Creek | 2,133 |
68 | Daniel | 1,200 |
69 | Liberty | 1,382 |
70 | Uintah | 1,417 |
71 | Francis | 1,489 |
72 | Morgan | 4,105 |
73 | Woodland Hills | 1,590 |
74 | Silver Summit | 1,421 |
75 | Mendon | 1,317 |
76 | Mountain Green | 3,870 |