Salt Lake City-Murray receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.
Signals
Fort Collins-Loveland
Salt Lake City-Murray
Opportunity
66 · Top 29%
vs80 · Top 10%
Growth
67 · Top 24%
vs75 · Top 12%
Climate
45 · Bottom 1%
vs49 · Bottom 2%
Physical resilience
70 · Top 29%
vs55 · Bottom 49%
Housing affordability
62 · Bottom 7%
vs73 · Bottom 15%
Access
88 · Top 28%
vs71 · Bottom 41%
Economic stability
83 · Top 10%
vs98 · Top 1%
Measured values
| Metric | Fort Collins-Loveland | Salt Lake City-Murray | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 367,368 | 1,275,870 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median household income | $93,765 | $98,083 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income | $51,165 | $44,702 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Population density | 142/sq mi | 164/sq mi | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value | $569,100 | $515,400 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent | $1,716 | $1,583 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate | 64.0% | 67.0% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment rate | 3.6% | 3.6% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | -1.3% | 0.0% | June 2026 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 53.0% | 38.4% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 11.2% | 8.0% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units permitted (12 months) | 2,421 | 7,755 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permits per 1,000 residents | 6.6 | 6.1 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permit change (year over year) | 13.4% | 20.1% | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Average July high | 74°F | 97°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 11°F | 21°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual precipitation | 20.6" | 6.4" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Distance to major airport | 29 mi | 53 mi | NASR current cycle |
| Average commute | 25.2 min | 24.6 min | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median age | 36.8 | 33.9 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.
Physical risk tradeoff
Fort Collins-Loveland
Elevated or high exposure: hail, wildfire, tornado.
Salt Lake City-Murray
Elevated or high exposure: wildfire.
Your best match
Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.
Fort Collins-Loveland
69
Your Score
65
Area Score
Salt Lake City-Murray
71
Your Score
69
Area Score
Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.
Full profiles: Fort Collins-Loveland, CO Metro Area · Salt Lake City-Murray, UT Metro Area · How this is calculated: methodology