The 10 Best Places To Live In Utah For 2022

The 10 Best Places To Live In Utah For 2022

Situated on the majestic foothills of Sierra Bonita Mountain 10 miles southeast of Provo, Mapleton comes in as the best place to call home in Utah. 60% of the land in Mapleton is undeveloped, so you can expect property values to keep rising here (they went up 5% last year alone). Mapleton is a warm and welcoming community that loves to party. For evidence of this statement, just come to the Pioneer Day celebration in summer, for incredible food and an out-of-this-world fireworks show.

Mapleton knows how to keep things civil; it ranks among Utah’s safest cities, with crime being 75% less common than your typical city in Utah. Seeing as crime and poverty go hand-in-hand, that peaceful vibe seems to be fostered by a ridiculously low poverty rate of 2.2%, the 4th lowest statewide. Homes in Mapleton may be the 7th priciest in the state, but having the 6th highest median household income at $110,417/year helps offset that cost in a big way.

It may have been a silver medalist last year, but in 2022, Farmington takes the top spot for best place to live in Utah. Situated on Interstate 15 between Salt Lake City and Ogden, Farmington’s a great city for just about everyone. It topped our list of the best cities for families in Utah, thanks in part to its 9.5/10 education score. More importantly (for the kids, anyway), Farmington is home to Lagoon Amusement Park, with over 60 thrilling rides and a water park. And even the most voracious shopaholic will meet their match at Station Park, an outdoor mall with shopping and restaurants galore.

The poverty rate in Farmington is just 3.5% and the unemployment rate is a very low 2.1%. Farmington is also safe and the cost of living is relatively low, besides housing. Homes in Farmington are around $419,700 and property values went up nearly 10% just last year, so there’s no time like the present if you’re thinking of moving here.

Located in the Utah Valley between Salt Lake City and Provo, Highland ranks as Utah’s 3rd best city. Here you’ll find a quiet, tight-knit vibe with one-acre minimum lot sizes, keeping the residential areas decidedly suburban. You’ll also find the youngest locals of anywhere on this list, with a median age of 23. These young-uns are super smart, seeing as around 60% of residents have a bachelor’s degree, and nearly a quarter of folks have a master’s, PhD, or professional degree. That kind of educational success doesn’t happen overnight; Highland’s public schools are some of the best in Utah and have achieved the 16th lowest high school dropout rate statewide.

The poverty rate in Highland sits at a measly 1.7% and 95.7% of residents have health insurance, the 20th highest rate in Utah. Fair warning: no city on this list has a higher cost of living than Highland, which outstrips the statewide index by over 30%. Housing is especially expensive; just about double Utah’s average price. The median rent in Highland is $2,039/month and homes sell for around $599,700. Luckily, Highland residents also have the highest median household income in the state at $146,177/year.

We’re wrapping our tour of Utah’s best of the best with Centerville, a city of 17,527 just 15 minutes north of Salt Lake City. Being next to the state’s capital comes with obvious perks; weekend trips to Temple Square are a real treat, for example. But Centerville has its own culture as well. You can catch a local production at the Centerpoint Legacy Theatre and history buffs can learn about the region’s heritage at the Whitaker Museum.

At 38, Centerville has the oldest median age of cities on this list. That doesn’t mean they don’t support the next generation, though. On the contrary, Centerville’s school district spends 15% more per student than the statewide average. That love of learning doesn’t disappear after high school either; about half of Centerville’s residents have a college degree, and nearly 20% have a master’s degree or higher as well. The median household income in Centerville is $100,230/year and a typical home sells for $349,400. Both of those numbers went up by around 5% since last year, so things just keep getting better in Centerville.

People may flock to Midway to take a dip in its epic geothermal spring, the Homestead Crater, but there are plenty of other reasons to head to one of Utah’s best places to live. About an hour away from Salt Lake City, this area has a population that is incredibly well taken care of. The city of 5,210 has the 7th lowest levels of unemployment in the state and ranks 1st in Utah for the number of residents with health insurance.

A consistent source of income means covering the cost of the typical home in Midway, which comes in at $536,800, is not a problem. It is even more manageable when you bring in the area’s median household income of $101,944. Plus, adults are not the only ones who benefit from calling this city home, so do youngsters. GreatSchools gives two elementary schools in the community high ratings. So, parents can settle down in different parts of town and know the future still looks bright for their little ones.

Nestled between the Wasatch Mountains and the Great Salt Lake, Syracuse offers a diverse economy, family-oriented community, and a beautiful natural setting. As for the last point, Syracuse is the gateway to Antelope Island State Park, which has backcountry trails for bikers, hikers, and horseback riders, along with several campsites and sandy beaches. Look out for bison, mule deer, bighorn sheep, and antelope while you’re here.

Rent in Syracuse is pretty expensive at $1,766/month, but over 90% of residents own their homes, which are moderately priced at around $340,900. Why would someone choose to settle down in Syracuse? Well a crazy low 1.4% unemployment rate, a high rate of health insurance coverage (97.1%), and the 6th lowest crime rate in Utah are just some reasons, off the top of my head.

A rural farming community located 20 minutes south of Provo, Salem comes in as the 9th best place to live in Utah. If you need a breath of fresh air, there’s nowhere better than Salem Pond, a serene spot for fishing, birdwatching, and picnicking, complete with walking trails and a playground. Come August, be ready to don your party face, because the week-long Salem Days is a non-stop celebration of Salem’s community.

Salem is nicknamed the City of Peace, and it’s easy to see why; Salem has the 3rd lowest crime rate in Utah, with only one violent crime being reported in the last year of available data. Unemployment and poverty rates hover around 3%, so you know everyone gets a piece of the pie here. A pretty big piece, actually, when you consider that the median household income in Salem is $86,745/year.

Bountiful is a city that certainly lives up to its name, so it is no surprise it landed a spot on this list. The 43,991 residents here have it good on multiple levels — from the cultural experiences offered by the Bountiful Davis Art Center to the numerous schools that score above average ratings from GreatSchools and everything in between.

A major perk of residing here is proximity to the state’s capital, which sits just south of the city. You might run into some traffic getting in and out of Salt Lake City though. But those who work within Bountiful have the luxury of avoiding a seemingly never-ending commute, getting to and from their jobs in just 22 minutes.

The paychecks they bring home are far from shabby too. Members of this community earn a median household income of $83,660, which is the kind of dough you want in your bank account when homes in your area often come with a price tag of $343,900.

Methodology: How We Calculated The Best Cities To Live In Utah

Now that we had our set of cities, it was time to rank them.

We ranked each place in Utah across a number of criteria from one to 82, with one being the best.

We then took the average rank across all criteria, with the city posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title “Best Place To Live In Utah”.

The criteria we looked at were:

• Median Home Values
• Median Income
• Population Density (Higher better)
• Unemployment Rate
• Commute Time
• Crime
• Education Levels
• Health Insurance Coverage
• Poverty rates

Sources of criteria include the New Census Data and FBI Crime Data. You can download the data here.

After the dust settled, what was the best place to live in Utah? That would be Mapleton.

If your city or town isn’t among the top 10, jump down to the bottom of the post to see a detailed chart of the best places in Utah.

Otherwise, buckle up for a ride down good living lane with Mapleton at the end of the cul-de-sac.