Orem vs Provo

Which is the better fit for you?

Orem, UT

Area Score

Bottom 39% nationally

Provo, UT

Area Score

Bottom 31% nationally

Orem receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

Signals

Orem

Provo

Opportunity

63 · Top 36%

Growth

37 · Bottom 28%

52 · Top 48%

Climate

58 · Bottom 9%

57 · Bottom 9%

Physical resilience

49 · Bottom 42%

Housing affordability

68 · Bottom 30%

55 · Bottom 14%

Schools

49 · Bottom 46%

34 · Bottom 28%

Access

99 · Top 14%

Economic stability

69 · Top 30%

56 · Bottom 41%

Measured values

Metric	Orem	Provo	Source period
Population	97,182	114,766	2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income	$83,342	$64,171	2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income	$35,876	$27,822	2024 ACS 5-Year
Population density	5,220/sq mi	2,740/sq mi	2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value	$472,300	$467,200	2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent	$1,438	$1,193	2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate	57.8%	39.4%	2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate	3.7%	3.5%	June 2026
Employment change (year over year)	-0.6%	-0.6%	June 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher	43.6%	45.2%	2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate	10.2%	23.0%	2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)	65	371	12 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents	0.7	3.2	12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)	124.1%	-10.0%	12 months ending July 2026
Average July high	93°F	95°F	1991-2020 Normals
Average January low	20°F	24°F	1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport	6 mi	5 mi	NASR current cycle
Average commute	22.0 min	20.3 min	2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age	27.0	23.6	2024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools	26	24	2024-25 school year
Students per teacher	22.69	20.23	2024-25 school year
Math proficiency	42.3%	38.1%	2019-20 school year
Reading proficiency	45.6%	42.4%	2019-20 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility	31.8%	38.0%	2024-25 school 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

Orem

Elevated or high exposure: wildfire.

Provo

Elevated or high exposure: wildfire.

Your best match

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Orem

Your Score

Area Score

Provo

Your Score

Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Orem, UT · Provo, UT · How this is calculated: methodology