Salem is #1 in Utah for new homes
Salem is ranked on 38 lists against the 120 Utah towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 2 and the top quarter on 9.
A podium finish, and more
Each list ranks every UT town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Salem marked.
1 spot from the top 10 for health insurance
Lists where Salem sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Salem lands in the top half on 15 of 24 lists
Each dot is Salem’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in UT, the right end is last. Areas where Salem does best come first.
Hotter summers than 91% of Utah
Not better or worse, just Salem’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Salem out-ranks 2 of its 3 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Every UT list, and where Salem lands
40 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Park City · 48.6%
#99
Most new homes#1 Salem · 30.7 per 1,000
#1
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Helper · +80.0%
#58
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Holladay · 15.3 per home
#28 Health
Healthiest#1 Summit Park · 100 / 100
#20
Lowest obesity#1 Summit Park · 19%
#36
Fewest smokers#1 Highland · 5%
#19
Most active#1 Highland · 11%
#13
E
Fewest uninsured#1 East Basin · 5%
#11
Lowest depression#1 Midway · 22%
#22
Closest to a top hospital#1 Sandy · 0.5 mi
#33 
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Park City · 30.6 per resident
#6
Most library borrowing#1 Park City · 23.8 per resident
#16
Best libraries for kids#1 Park City · 40.2 per child
#12 
People
E Most educated#1 East Basin · 79.6% #50
Youngest#1 Ephraim · 22.1
#28
Oldest#1 Ivins · 52.1
#93
Most residents 65+#1 Ivins · 31.9%
#80
Most kids#1 Eagle Mountain · 43.4%
#13 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Helper · 2.2 yrs
#94
Cheapest rent#1 Salina · $753/mo
#69
Lowest property tax#1 Beaver · $1,104/yr
#80
Rent easiest to afford#1 Pleasant Grove · 35.1%
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Hooper · 86.2%
#117
Most trails#1 Park City · 9.8 mi / sq mi
#84
Most walkable#1 Kearns · 157 / sq mi
#79 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Moab · 11.7 min
#87 Climate
Snowiest#1 Summit Park · 153 in
#24
Least snow#1 St. George · 1.2 in
#94
Mildest winters#1 St. George · 33.2°
#70
Hottest summers#1 St. George · 102.9°
#11
Coolest summers#1 Summit Park · 79.0°
#106
Longest growing season#1 St. George · 239 days
#47
Wettest#1 Summit Park · 30 in
#53 Safety
Safest#1 Smithfield · 3.9
The number on the right is Salem’s spot. All of Utah’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every UT list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.