The 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Utah For 2026


The best places for families in Utah are Lehi and Mapleton for 2026 based on Saturday Night Science.

If you want the best schools, the best parks, the best food, and some pretty awesome family friendly activities, look no further than Utah’s best places for families to call home. And, folks, it’s your lucky day. HomeSnacks is here to give you the ultimate guide: we’ve broken down the best places to raise a family in Utah for 2026 and the top ten list is below.

How did we determine Utah’s most family friendly places? We consulted the US Census on places in Utah with more than 10,000 residents. We looked at several factors: crime, education, family friendly activities, and the percent of households that currently have children. We ended up with 43 family friendly Utah places. This is also our second time ranking Utah’s most family friendly cities, so trust us when we say that any family would be lucky to call one these places home. That’s right, if you’ve already started a family or you’re thinking about taking the plunge, we’re sure that you’ve wondered where your family should live to experience the best that life has to offer. We’re also pretty sure that the Utah has crossed 98.9% of every family’s mind as having the best of the best. Heck, you can have your family mountain biking in Moab one minute and later snowboarding in Park City all in the same weekend.

Utah also has great places for every type of family on every type of budget. There are places like Saratoga Springs for the family that loves spending time outside, places like Salt Lake City for families who like the city life, and places like Provo for families who can afford to live in the most expensive places in Utah.

So, want to see a list of Utah’s best places for families? Read on.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The 10 Best Cities To Raise A Family In Utah For 2026

  1. Lehi
  2. Mapleton
  3. Salem
  4. Saratoga Springs
  5. Farmington
  6. Kaysville
  7. Spanish Fork
  8. Smithfield
  9. Syracuse
  10. Grantsville

Best Cities For Families In Utah Map

Utah does have beautiful summers, but super snowy winters; so for many the burning question is: what is it about Utah that makes over 3.1 million people–750,000 families happy to call it home? We’ll tell you, point blank, it has a lot to offer.

So what is the number one best place to raise a family in Utah? That would be, Lehi.

If you want to see how Utah’s other amazing best places to raise a family faired, take a look at the list below. And if you don’t see your favorite there, head to the bottom.

More reading about Utah and the best places for families in the country:

The 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Utah For 2026

Lehi, UT

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 85,173
Median Income: $131,299
Average Home Price: $568,596
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 49
Closest Major City: North Las Vegas
Households with kids: 51.8%
More on Lehi: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

Mapleton, UT

Source: Wikipedia User An Errant Knight | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 13,114
Median Income: $133,142
Average Home Price: $730,776
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 50
Closest Major City: North Las Vegas
Households with kids: 49.1%
More on Mapleton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

Salem, UT

Source: Wikipedia User An Errant Knight | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 10,324
Median Income: $111,117
Average Home Price: $611,418
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 58
Closest Major City: North Las Vegas
Households with kids: 50.6%
More on Salem: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

Saratoga Springs, UT

Source: Flickr User CountyLemonade | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 48,425
Median Income: $128,802
Average Home Price: $560,223
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 60
Closest Major City: North Las Vegas
Households with kids: 66.6%
More on Saratoga Springs: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

Farmington, UT

Source: Wikipedia User Tricia Simpson | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 25,389
Median Income: $127,338
Average Home Price: $692,138
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 51
Closest Major City: North Las Vegas
Households with kids: 48.4%
More on Farmington: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

Kaysville, UT

Source: Wikipedia User Tricia Simpson | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 33,053
Median Income: $133,026
Average Home Price: $682,325
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 47
Closest Major City: North Las Vegas
Households with kids: 49.2%
More on Kaysville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

Spanish Fork, UT

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 44,946
Median Income: $104,844
Average Home Price: $514,916
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 56
Closest Major City: North Las Vegas
Households with kids: 53.0%
More on Spanish Fork: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

Smithfield, UT

Source: Wikipedia User Ken Lund | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 14,408
Median Income: $97,537
Average Home Price: $464,322
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 32
Closest Major City: Denver
Households with kids: 53.4%
More on Smithfield: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

Syracuse, UT

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 35,488
Median Income: $133,443
Average Home Price: $584,933
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 37
Closest Major City: North Las Vegas
Households with kids: 55.8%
More on Syracuse: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

Grantsville, UT

Source: Flickr User CountyLemonade | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 14,341
Median Income: $101,349
Average Home Price: $528,196
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 43
Closest Major City: North Las Vegas
Households with kids: 53.0%
More on Grantsville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

Methodology: How do you determine which place is best for families in Utah anyways?

To give you the places in Utah that are best for families, we must look at a handful of metrics. We want to measure the criteria people want in a family-friendly city utilizing Saturday Night Science.

After researching U.S. Census data produced for the state of Utah, we looked at the data for every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:

  • Crime (Both violent and property)
  • Quality of local schools
  • Distance to a major city without necessarily being in it
  • % of households with children
  • Family-friendly amenities nearby (museums, libraries, and colleges)

We then gave each city a “Family Score.”

The higher the score, the better the city is for families. We also limited our results to cities with over 10,000 people. For Utah, that meant a total of 43 cities.

We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the best cities for families in Utah.

Summary: The Best Places To Raise A Family In Utah

If you’re looking for a breakdown of cities in Utah ranked by criteria that most agree make a place a great spot for families, this is an accurate list.

The best places for families in Utah are Lehi, Mapleton, Salem, Saratoga Springs, Farmington, Kaysville, Spanish Fork, Smithfield, Syracuse, and Grantsville.

Here’s a look at the best cities for singles Utah according to the data:

  1. South Salt Lake
  2. Clearfield
  3. South Ogden

For more Utah reading, check out:

Best Places For Families In Utah

Rank City Population Median Income Average Home Price Amenities Score
1 Lehi, UT 85,173 $131,299 $568,596 59
2 Mapleton, UT 13,114 $133,142 $730,776 31
3 Salem, UT 10,324 $111,117 $611,418 38
4 Saratoga Springs, UT 48,425 $128,802 $560,223 39
5 Farmington, UT 25,389 $127,338 $692,138 39
6 Kaysville, UT 33,053 $133,026 $682,325 35
7 Spanish Fork, UT 44,946 $104,844 $514,916 43
8 Smithfield, UT 14,408 $97,537 $464,322 36
9 Syracuse, UT 35,488 $133,443 $584,933 40
10 Grantsville, UT 14,341 $101,349 $528,196 50
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.