County housing intelligence
Utah Housing Market by County
Utah is not one housing market. Across 29 counties, the median county home value is $350,900 and the median county rent is $1,018/mo. The useful question is not whether Utah is cheap. It is which county fits your income, tax tolerance, and buy-versus-rent plan.
County median home value
$350,900
Median of county medians, less distorted by the largest metros.
County median rent
$1,018/mo
Gross rent includes rent plus utilities where Census reports it.
Counties compared
29
Every county with available ACS housing data in this state.
Fast answers
Start with the housing question.
Market brief
The state-level housing signal
These benchmarks use the median county in the state, not one metro-weighted average. That makes the brief better for county comparison and rural-to-urban screening.
Purchase price
State county median vs national benchmark
Rent
State county median vs national benchmark
Owner cost
State county median vs national benchmark
Income base
State county median vs national benchmark
Tax rate
State county median vs national benchmark
The Utah Pattern
These are the signals a statewide average hides. Start here before choosing counties to compare.
Price geography
Summit County, Wasatch County, Morgan County sit at the top of the purchase market, while San Juan County, Emery County, Carbon County anchor the lower-cost end.
Rent reality
Summit County, Wasatch County, Davis County lead on rent, while Emery County, Rich County, Daggett County show where monthly lease costs are lowest.
Decision lens
Emery County, Beaver County, Duchesne County screen best for purchase affordability when home values are measured against local household income.
Best Counties by Housing Goal
Different households need different rankings. Price alone is not enough, so these groups compare rent, income, owner costs, and tax exposure.
Cheapest to buy
Lowest median home values. Useful for purchase-price screening.
- 1. San Juan County
$189,900
- 2. Emery County
$197,100
- 3. Carbon County
$200,700
- 4. Piute County
$235,400
- 5. Daggett County
$242,100
Best buy affordability
Lowest home-value-to-income ratios. Better than price alone.
- 1. Emery County
2.8x home-value-to-income
- 2. Beaver County
3.4x home-value-to-income
- 3. Duchesne County
3.4x home-value-to-income
- 4. Millard County
3.5x home-value-to-income
- 5. San Juan County
3.5x home-value-to-income
Cheapest to rent
Lowest median gross rent among counties with ACS rent data.
- 1. Emery County
$696/mo
- 2. Rich County
$743/mo
- 3. Daggett County
$775/mo
- 4. Garfield County
$781/mo
- 5. Piute County
$792/mo
Lowest rent burden
Where typical renters spend the smallest share of income on rent.
- 1. Daggett County
13.0% rent burden
- 2. Morgan County
19.0% rent burden
- 3. Piute County
19.0% rent burden
- 4. Wayne County
19.0% rent burden
- 5. Garfield County
20.0% rent burden
Lowest tax-rate signal
Lowest effective property-tax rates in the state data.
- 1. Rich County
0.29% effective tax rate
- 2. Summit County
0.35% effective tax rate
- 3. Wayne County
0.35% effective tax rate
- 4. Garfield County
0.38% effective tax rate
- 5. Beaver County
0.39% effective tax rate
Owner-cost advantage
Counties where median owner costs are furthest below median rent.
- 1. Wayne County
$357/mo cheaper to own than rent
- 2. San Juan County
$237/mo cheaper to own than rent
- 3. Washington County
$199/mo cheaper to own than rent
- 4. Grand County
$191/mo cheaper to own than rent
- 5. Piute County
$129/mo cheaper to own than rent
Income-backed value
Higher-income counties that still hold a reasonable value-to-income profile.
- 1. Tooele County
$101,846 income, 3.8x value-to-income
- 2. Morgan County
$126,092 income, 4.8x value-to-income
- 3. Beaver County
$85,603 income, 3.4x value-to-income
- 4. Emery County
$69,956 income, 2.8x value-to-income
- 5. Davis County
$108,058 income, 4.4x value-to-income
Tradeoffs to Check
The best page is not the one that crowns a winner. It is the one that shows where a county can surprise you after the headline price looks attractive.
| Signal | County | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Cheap price, weaker income base | San Juan County $189,900 home value, $54,890 income | Low purchase prices can still feel tight when local wages are also low. |
| Affordable homes, higher tax rate | San Juan County $189,900 home value, 0.84% tax rate | A low home price can be offset by the annual property-tax bill. |
| Renter pressure | Washington County $1,464/mo rent, 32.00% rent burden | Monthly rent alone does not show whether renters can comfortably absorb the cost. |
| Expensive, but income-supported | Summit County $1,000,400 home value, $137,058 income | Some high-price counties also have stronger incomes, so affordability depends on both sides of the equation. |
Lowest home values
Best value-to-income
Compare Every Utah County
Sorted by home-value-to-income ratio so the first rows are not just cheap counties, but counties where purchase prices look smaller relative to local income.
| County | Home Value | Rent | Income | Value/Income | Tax Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emery County | $197,100 | $696/mo | $69,956 | 2.8x | 0.58% |
| Beaver County | $287,600 | $1,034/mo | $85,603 | 3.4x | 0.39% |
| Duchesne County | $253,600 | $934/mo | $74,738 | 3.4x | 0.64% |
| Millard County | $246,400 | $897/mo | $70,877 | 3.5x | 0.54% |
| San Juan County | $189,900 | $805/mo | $54,890 | 3.5x | 0.84% |
| Carbon County | $200,700 | $828/mo | $53,673 | 3.7x | 0.64% |
| Sevier County | $274,100 | $878/mo | $73,765 | 3.7x | 0.55% |
| Rich County | $291,200 | $743/mo | $76,875 | 3.8x | 0.29% |
| Tooele County | $391,300 | $1,134/mo | $101,846 | 3.8x | 0.59% |
| Uintah County | $270,200 | $914/mo | $69,861 | 3.9x | 0.54% |
| Daggett County | $242,100 | $775/mo | $58,750 | 4.1x | 0.48% |
| Juab County | $369,800 | $917/mo | $89,803 | 4.1x | 0.46% |
| Davis County | $470,500 | $1,516/mo | $108,058 | 4.4x | 0.54% |
| Sanpete County | $300,400 | $911/mo | $67,459 | 4.5x | 0.51% |
| Weber County | $389,200 | $1,269/mo | $87,083 | 4.5x | 0.62% |
| Box Elder County | $357,400 | $1,028/mo | $77,865 | 4.6x | 0.51% |
| Garfield County | $285,800 | $781/mo | $61,688 | 4.6x | 0.38% |
| Kane County | $350,900 | $1,120/mo | $75,000 | 4.7x | 0.42% |
| Morgan County | $600,900 | $1,493/mo | $126,092 | 4.8x | 0.54% |
| Cache County | $392,800 | $1,137/mo | $78,292 | 5.0x | 0.49% |
| Utah County | $489,200 | $1,441/mo | $96,877 | 5.0x | 0.46% |
| Salt Lake County | $484,500 | $1,493/mo | $94,658 | 5.1x | 0.56% |
| Iron County | $342,900 | $1,008/mo | $65,527 | 5.2x | 0.42% |
| Wayne County | $364,800 | $1,018/mo | $70,074 | 5.2x | 0.35% |
| Piute County | $235,400 | $792/mo | $44,650 | 5.3x | 0.43% |
| Washington County | $465,600 | $1,464/mo | $76,411 | 6.1x | 0.45% |
| Wasatch County | $724,400 | $1,905/mo | $115,146 | 6.3x | 0.45% |
| Summit County | $1,000,400 | $1,969/mo | $137,058 | 7.3x | 0.35% |
| Grand County | $480,900 | $1,021/mo | $62,521 | 7.7x | 0.42% |
Questions This Page Answers
Each answer is generated from the current county dataset, so it changes when the underlying ACS data changes.
What is the typical home value in Utah by county?
What is the typical rent in Utah by county?
Which Utah counties are most affordable to buy in?
Why do cheap counties still need a closer look?
Data: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023) — Informational only. Not financial or legal advice.