Salt Lake County, Utah
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Salt Lake County. Population: 1,185,813 (metro).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Salt Lake County, UT falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 40.5 — 2320th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within Utah, it ranks 14th of 29 counties. It scores higher than all 6 of its neighboring counties.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Salt Lake County compares to all U.S. counties across five dimensions of financial distress. Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.
Housing Cost Burden
Primary DriverDebt & Delinquency
Employment & Wages
Community Vulnerability
Income & Poverty
How Salt Lake County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake County, UT | 40.5 | Normal | — |
| Utah County, UT | 32.5 | Healthy | -8.0 |
| Tooele County, UT | 30.6 | Healthy | -9.9 |
| Davis County, UT | 28.1 | Healthy | -12.4 |
| Wasatch County, UT | 24.9 | Healthy | -15.6 |
| Summit County, UT | 21.1 | Healthy | -19.4 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (metro) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contra Costa County, CA | 41.1 | Normal | +0.6 |
| Travis County, TX | 39.8 | Normal | -0.7 |
| New York County, NY | 39.3 | Normal | -1.2 |
| Orange County, CA | 41.9 | Normal | +1.3 |
| Alameda County, CA | 38.7 | Normal | -1.8 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Salt Lake County as a CSV file.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Salt Lake County, Utah?
Salt Lake County has a County Distress Index score of 40.5 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,320th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 14th in Utah out of 29 counties.
What drives financial distress in Salt Lake County?
The primary driver of distress in Salt Lake County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 75.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).
How does Salt Lake County compare to neighboring counties?
Salt Lake County (40.5) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Utah County, UT (32.5); Tooele County, UT (30.6); Davis County, UT (28.1).
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.
What is the population of Salt Lake County?
Salt Lake County, Utah has a population of approximately 1,185,813 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.