A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Sandy$3,720/mo

Typical home $659K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.49% · or rent about $1,777/mo · Housing →

Layton$2,970/mo

Typical home $523K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.53% · or rent about $1,538/mo · Housing →

The difference: $750 a month, about $9,000 a year, between Sandy and Layton.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Life in each

Sandy gets 32 more inches of snow a year

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

SandyLayton

Snow a year82″50″

January low23°F 22°F

July high91°F 91°F

Growing season (days)174d 181d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)49th 36th

Outdoors & history

SandyLayton

Trails54 mi 20 mi

Conserved land7.6%1.6%

Settled1871 1850

National Register places55 7

Archive photos18 18

Famous people born here29 19

Community

SandyLayton

Library hours a week58 hrs 58 hrs

Colleges in town—1

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Report cards

Sandy places higher on 15 of 22 UT lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Utah ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety

–SandyNot graded B−LaytonSafer than 51% of U.S. towns

Schools

A−SandyBetter than 76% of districts in the state A−LaytonBetter than 75% of districts in the state

Health

ASandyHealthier than 91% of U.S. towns ALaytonHealthier than 85% of U.S. towns

15Sandy

7Layton

Lists won, of 22 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most conserved landOutdoors · 117 towns #36#92 Most trailsOutdoors · 113 towns #22#72 Lowest obesityHealth · 119 towns #22#71 Highest graduation rateSchools · 119 towns #62#13 Most new homesHousing · 94 towns #93#55 Best schoolsSchools · 117 towns #21#61 Most affordableCost of living · 120 towns #96#58 Most remote workersWork · 119 towns #23#57

Left end = #1 in Utah. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Sandy’s rankings →

Where they are

35 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

SandyUT LaytonUT

Sandy ↔ Layton35 miles apart

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Utah average

SandyLayton

People

Population 94,291Highest 83,286Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +10.8%Lowest UT: +18.4% +21.5%Highest UT: +18.4%

Median age 37.6±0.7Highest 18% above UT 32.3±1Lowest about the UT average

Kids under 18 26.4%±1.3Lowest UT: 27.8% 29%±1.5Highest UT: 27.8%

Layton and Sandy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 15.8%±0.9Highest UT: 11.9% 10.8%±0.8Lowest UT: 11.9%

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 46%Highest UT: 37.7% 36.6%Lowest UT: 37.7%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.9%±0.6Lowest UT: 8.1% 6%±0.7Highest UT: 8.1%

Layton and Sandy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $112,176±$6kHighest 18% above UT $102,480±$5kLowest 8% above UT

Sandy and Layton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $614,100±$10kHighest 25% above UT $477,700±$11kLowest about the UT average

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,777±$45Highest 19% above UT $1,538±$80Lowest about the UT average

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,983Highest 18% above UT $2,519Lowest about the UT average

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 46.2%±6.9Highest UT: 47.2% 45.5%±6.1Lowest UT: 47.2%

Sandy and Layton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 5.5%Lowest UT: 8.5% 8.1%Highest UT: 8.5%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 75.2%Highest UT: 70.2% 72.5%Lowest UT: 70.2%

Typical home builtmedian year 1985Lowest 7 yrs older than UT 1993Highest 1 yr newer than UT

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 23 minLowest about the UT average 23 minHighest 4% above UT

Work from home 22.8%±1.8Highest UT: 17.6% 16.3%±1.6Lowest UT: 17.6%

Work in townworking residents 12.9%Lowest 14.4%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.3 miLowest 12.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.07Highest 0.80Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Salt Lake City (23%)Salt Lake City (17%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in LaytonFew work in Sandy

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 7.6%Highest 1.6%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 53.7 miHighest 19.9 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.2 miHighest 0.9 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 40Highest 19Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 119Highest 94.1Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #21 of 117 in UT #61 of 117 in UT

School district Beehive Science & Technology Academy · Canyons DistrictNo. UT. Acad. for Math Engineering & Science · Leadership Learning Academy

High school in town Alta HighLayton High

Students per teacherat that high school 24.5Lowest 26.8Highest

Utah average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Sandy neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sandy’s Town Square.

Layton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Layton’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Sandy and Layton

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Sandy

+ Compare

Granite908 people · $1.03M homes

+ Compare

Midvale35,989 people · $437K homes

+ Compare

Cottonwood Heights32,828 people · $694K homes

+ Compare

Draper50,278 people · $785K homes

Towns like Sandy

+ Compare

South Jordan82,686 people · $651K homes

+ Compare

St. George101,995 people · $496K homes

+ Compare

Bountiful45,023 people · $532K homes

+ Compare

Murray50,188 people · $508K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Sandy vs Layton

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $750 more a month in Sandy

Sandy gets 32 more inches of snow a year

Sandy places higher on 15 of 22 UT lists

35 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Sandy and Layton

Bordering Sandy

Towns like Sandy

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