In Tooele County, Utah, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in eight dollars of the typical household's income
In Tooele County, 12.3% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Tooele County's score
In Tooele County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 66.9. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 6.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Tooele County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Even so, Tooele County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (362, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 66.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.3% · August 202539th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people362 · 202594th percentile
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- 33.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202644th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
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- 29.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.4% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.0% · August 202532nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.9% · second quarter of 202625th percentile
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- 10.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line6.2% · 20242nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line7.0% · 20243rd percentile
- People with a disability11.2% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- People without health insurance6.1% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$111,901 · 20242nd percentile
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- 6.1 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent10.0% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income12.3% · fiscal year 20270th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Tooele County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Tooele County, 9.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Tooele County
Utah
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Tooele County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 14.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Tooele County, Utah, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 14.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Tooele County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.9% in 2011 to 8.9% in 2012.
The share of households in Tooele County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 6.0% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Tooele County, Utah.
How Tooele County has changed
Tooele County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size, reaching 84,488, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 84,488. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Tooele County, Utah.
The number of jobs located in Tooele County had its largest rise in the last span, from 17,502 in 2020 to 20,520 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Tooele County doubled to 20,520, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 20,520 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Tooele County, Utah.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.3% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.7% | 2024 6.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $33,181 | 2024 $111,901 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Tooele County's history
1850
January 31, 1850, initially called Tuilla. Wikipedia
1864
Gold, silver, lead, and zinc deposits discovered, 1864. Wikipedia
1946
International Smelting and Refining Company copper smelter closed, 1946. Wikipedia
2000
Lightning in August 2000 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 72,698, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A flash flood in August 2021 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Tooele County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Tooele County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Tooele County, in Utah and Nevada, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Tooele County ranks 5th of the eight; White Pine County is highest, at 24.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Pine County, NV | 48 | 12.6% | 24.5% |
| Salt Lake County, UT | 29 | 7.9% | 12.5% |
| Elko County, NV | 27 | 9.5% | 15.7% |
| Utah County, UT | 16 | 9.0% | 11.4% |
| Tooele County, UT | 16 | 6.2% | 14.7% |
| Box Elder County, UT | 15 | 6.8% | 17.3% |
| Davis County, UT | 11 | 6.4% | 12.2% |
| Juab County, UT | 11 | 7.7% | 19.6% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Tooele County the poorest county in Utah?
No, Tooele County's poverty rate was 6.2% in 2024, 26th highest of 29 in Utah (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is San Juan County, at 19.5%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Tooele County ranks 19th of 29 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Tooele County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Utah Legal Services
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Tooele County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Tooele County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.