Salt Lake City-Murray, UT
Metro Area Profile
1,275,870 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Salt Lake City-Murray, UT metropolitan area.
Salt Lake City-Murray ranks in the top 12% of published metro profiles for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 3.6% and median household income of $98,083.
Development activity is both elevated and accelerating — 7,755 housing units permitted over the past twelve months, up 20% on the prior year.
Its Area Score of 69 places Salt Lake City-Murray in the top 36% of published metro profiles.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment of 3.6% is lower than 83% of the 99 measured US metros.
Employment grew 0.0% over the past year, to 717,788 employed residents.
38% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 86% of measured US metros.
Household income is higher than at least 96% of measured US metros.
| Metric | Value | Compared with peers | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income ±$1,249 | $98,083 | Top 4% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$486 | $44,702 | Top 14% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 8.0% | Bottom 3% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute | 24.6 min | Top 44% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 38.4% | Top 14% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Employment | 717,788 | Top 43% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years) | 1.4% | Top 38% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | 0.0% | Top 24% | June 2026 |
| Labor force | 744,745 | Top 43% | June 2026 |
| Labor force participation | 72.2% | Top 1% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Mean annual wage | $71,660 | Top 22% | 2025 OEWS |
| Median annual wage | $55,240 | Top 19% | 2025 OEWS |
| Metro employment | 826,210 | Top 37% | 2025 OEWS |
| Unemployment change (year over year) | -0.2% | Bottom 40% | June 2026 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.6% | Bottom 17% | June 2026 |
| Occupation | People employed | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Service Representatives | 26,620 | $45,410 |
| General and Operations Managers | 20,870 | $103,710 |
| Retail Salespersons | 20,330 | $34,420 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 19,590 | $29,070 |
| Software Developers | 19,040 | $129,600 |
| Office Clerks, General | 16,260 | $45,220 |
Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated →Median rent of $1,583 takes 19% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.
A median home costs 5.3 times median household income here, well above the historic benchmark, at a level conventionally described as seriously unaffordable.
| Metric | Value | Compared with peers | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home price to income | 5.25 | Top 11% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate | 67.0% | Bottom 32% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±174 | 474,627 | Top 6% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent ±$17 | $1,583 | Top 7% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$5,214 | $515,400 | Top 6% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income | 19.4% | Top 36% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate | 5.2% | Bottom 3% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated →An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
Population has grown 3% since 2020, reaching 1,300,762 in 2024.
At 6.1 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metros.
Weather & climate
4 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 97°F and January a low of 21°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 6.4 inches.
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Annual precipitation | 6.4" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 21°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high | 97°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Seasonal temperature swing | 53°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are earthquake, wildfire and avalanche.
Low or minimal exposure: winter weather, lightning, heat wave, inland flooding, landslide, volcanic activity, strong wind, tornado, hail, drought, cold wave, ice storm.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
Taxes
AreaProfile does not yet publish tax comparisons. No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, methodology transparency and update cadence, and the product rule is to omit a dimension rather than estimate it. The Area Score is calculated without a tax component and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.
Nothing on AreaProfile is individualized tax advice.
Access
5 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 53 miles away.
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake City Intl | SLC | 53 mi | 12,002 ft |
| Wendover | ENV | 57 mi | 10,002 ft |
| Ogden-Hinckley | OGD | 65 mi | 8,107 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Data & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle | 28-day NASR cycle |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) | Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current) |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals | Every ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period) |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | June 2026 | Monthly |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics | 2025 OEWS | Annual (spring release) |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate | Annual (vintage released each spring) |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 | Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month |
| Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year | Annual (5-year estimates released each December) |
Profile recalculated August 29, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology or browse every source.