Salt Lake City has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Salt Lake City without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Salt Lake City: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
$140,679 median income · $758,826 median home price
Located in
Davis County, Utah
Fruit Heights is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Salt Lake City area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Fruit Heights.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $140,679 a year, which is the 4th highest in the Salt Lake City region. And only 0.2% are out of work. Homes average more than $758,826 each.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$157,065 median income · $934,920 median home price
Midway is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Salt Lake City for 2026.
It ranks 3rd for incomes in the area and only 2.8% of residents lack insurance, good for 5th best.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$138,600 median income · $603,380 median home price
Located in
Davis County, Utah
Here in South Weber, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Salt Lake City metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in South Weber.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$186,075 median income · $971,050 median home price
Located in
Utah County, Utah
Highland ranks as the 4th best suburb of Salt Lake City for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Highland and the schools are some of the best around.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$134,047 median income · $665,928 median home price
Located in
Salt Lake County, Utah
Coming in as the fifth best is South Jordan.
South Jordan gets kudos for having the 12th most expensive homes in the Salt Lake City area, where houses sell for an average of $665,928. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$117,043 median income · $832,130 median home price
Located in
Salt Lake County, Utah
Holladay is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 2.7%.
According to online reports, Holladay is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Salt Lake City area, meaning you need to get in soon.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$133,443 median income · $584,934 median home price
Located in
Davis County, Utah
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Syracuse.
Syracuse schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 24.8 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$133,026 median income · $682,325 median home price
Located in
Davis County, Utah
Kaysville is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 3.4% of people lack insurance, good for 9th in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$123,130 median income · $588,129 median home price
Located in
Davis County, Utah
Is ‘Everything Better In Centerville?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$168,929 median income · $1,172,442 median home price
Located in
Utah County, Utah
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Alpine.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Utah’s statewide median.
Utah statewide median: $95,166
Utah statewide median: $537,810
Utah statewide median: 3.6%
Utah statewide median: 8.5%
On the map
Where the best Salt Lake City suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around Salt Lake City for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Salt Lake City was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2020-2024 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Salt Lake City.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 4,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 43 suburbs to evaluate around Salt Lake City.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 43 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Salt Lake City.” We’re lookin’ at you, Fruit Heights.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Salt Lake City suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best Salt Lake City Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fruit Heights | 10.29 | 6,023 | $140,679 | $758,826 |
| 2 | Midway | 10.57 | 6,171 | $157,065 | $934,920 |
| 3 | South Weber | 12.21 | 8,115 | $138,600 | $603,380 |
| 4 | Highland | 13.14 | 20,119 | $186,075 | $971,050 |
| 5 | South Jordan | 13.43 | 82,686 | $134,047 | $665,928 |
| 6 | Holladay | 13.64 | 31,099 | $117,043 | $832,130 |
| 7 | Syracuse | 13.71 | 35,488 | $133,443 | $584,934 |
| 8 | Kaysville | 14.00 | 33,053 | $133,026 | $682,325 |
| 9 | Centerville | 14.07 | 16,679 | $123,130 | $588,129 |
| 10 | Alpine | 14.43 | 10,392 | $168,929 | $1,172,442 |
| 11 | West Point | 14.79 | 11,929 | $120,687 | $554,465 |
| 12 | Farmington | 15.57 | 25,389 | $127,338 | $692,138 |
| 13 | Cedar Hills | 15.57 | 9,950 | $139,008 | $665,411 |
| 14 | Bluffdale | 16.36 | 18,797 | $129,531 | $612,682 |
| 15 | Morgan | 16.36 | 4,409 | $115,735 | $742,713 |
| 16 | West Bountiful | 16.71 | 5,915 | $135,179 | $602,324 |
| 17 | Sandy | 17.71 | 94,291 | $112,176 | $665,522 |
| 18 | Riverton | 18.29 | 45,457 | $126,910 | $625,364 |
| 19 | Draper | 18.71 | 50,278 | $128,910 | $806,898 |
| 20 | Cottonwood Heights | 19.86 | 32,828 | $119,422 | $777,468 |
| 21 | Saratoga Springs | 20.29 | 48,425 | $128,802 | $560,223 |
| 22 | Bountiful | 21.86 | 45,023 | $104,785 | $578,284 |
| 23 | Herriman | 22.00 | 59,346 | $122,650 | $607,545 |
| 24 | Woods Cross | 22.79 | 11,531 | $120,543 | $531,313 |
| 25 | Lehi | 23.14 | 85,173 | $131,299 | $568,596 |
| 26 | Pleasant Grove | 23.36 | 37,852 | $101,073 | $555,047 |
| 27 | Roy | 25.07 | 38,993 | $91,282 | $436,793 |
| 28 | Lindon | 25.07 | 11,765 | $120,956 | $726,560 |
| 29 | Washington Terrace | 25.36 | 9,182 | $80,119 | $396,702 |
| 30 | Layton | 27.71 | 83,286 | $102,480 | $527,623 |
| 31 | Clinton | 27.93 | 23,612 | $116,194 | $497,696 |
| 32 | West Jordan | 28.07 | 116,692 | $108,153 | $561,836 |
| 33 | Murray | 28.21 | 50,188 | $90,746 | $551,624 |
| 34 | South Ogden | 28.36 | 17,650 | $80,130 | $431,143 |
| 35 | American Fork | 30.07 | 37,109 | $98,878 | $525,231 |
| 36 | North Salt Lake | 30.79 | 23,474 | $101,447 | $575,886 |
| 37 | Midvale | 32.36 | 35,989 | $75,084 | $492,783 |
| 38 | Clearfield | 32.79 | 33,523 | $75,495 | $424,500 |
| 39 | Taylorsville | 33.14 | 58,678 | $86,413 | $497,266 |
| 40 | Tooele | 33.21 | 38,405 | $96,221 | $432,504 |
| 41 | Riverdale | 33.71 | 9,279 | $67,323 | $461,455 |
| 42 | Sunset | 33.71 | 5,587 | $76,364 | $377,637 |
| 43 | South Salt Lake | 37.57 | 26,352 | $72,152 | $440,875 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 43 suburbs within 30 miles of Salt Lake City.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best Salt Lake City ‘Burbs of 2026
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Salt Lake City are Fruit Heights, Midway, South Weber, Highland, South Jordan, Holladay, Syracuse, Kaysville, Centerville, and Alpine.
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Salt Lake City but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you. Not sold on Utah? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of Salt Lake City FAQs
What is the best suburb of Salt Lake City?
Fruit Heights is the best suburb of Salt Lake City for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Midway and South Weber are next.
What are the best suburbs of Salt Lake City?
The best suburbs of Salt Lake City are Fruit Heights, Midway, South Weber, Highland, South Jordan, Holladay, Syracuse, Kaysville, Centerville, and Alpine. We ranked all 43 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Fruit Heights?
The median household income in Fruit Heights is $140,679 and the median home costs $758,826. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Salt Lake City?
Any place within 30 miles of Salt Lake City qualifies. 43 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Salt Lake City suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Fruit Heights, takes the crown.
