About one in 11 people in Utah County, Utah, has a disability
In Utah County, 8.9% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Utah County's score
In Utah County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 45.3. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 14.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Utah 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.
Utah County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 45.3 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202640th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.8% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
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- 40.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.4% · August 20259th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people187.4 · 202571st percentile
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- 34.3 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 rent19.8% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.3% · fiscal year 20278th percentile
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- 14.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.6% · August 202520th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.2% · August 202518th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score25.3% · second quarter of 20263rd percentile
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- 14.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.0% · 202415th percentile
- Children below the poverty line7.1% · 20243rd percentile
- People with a disability8.9% · 2020 to 20241st percentile
- People without health insurance7.5% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$100,611 · 20245th 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 Utah 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 Utah County, 7.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Utah County
Utah
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Utah County rose most in two steps: 7.8% in 1969 to 10.1% in 1974; 12.2% in 2004 to 14.5% in 2009.
In Utah County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by about half since 1969, reaching 11.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about six times as much as benefit checks
In Utah County, Utah, benefit checks' share of income rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 11.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Utah County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.6% in 2011 to 7.6% in 2012.
The share of households in Utah County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about half
Biggest drop: 2017 to 2018, reaching 6.3%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Utah County, Utah.
How Utah County has changed
Utah County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 646,750 in 2019 to 747,234 in 2024.
Utah County's population grew to about six times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 747,234, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 260,368. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Utah County, Utah.
The number of jobs located in Utah County had its largest rise in the last span, from 253,406 in 2020 to 300,580 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Utah County more than tripled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 300,580, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 163,367. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Utah County, Utah.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.4% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.1% | 2024 9.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,318 | 2024 $100,611 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Utah County's history
1850
January 31, 1850 (created) April 18, 1852 (organized). Wikipedia
1994
A thunderstorm in May 1994 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A thunderstorm in August 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A thunderstorm in July 2001 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A thunderstorm in June 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 659,399, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1983
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Utah County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Utah County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Utah County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Utah County ranks 7th of the eight; Carbon County is highest, at 29.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon County, UT | 53 | 13.5% | 29.9% |
| Duchesne County, UT | 30 | 9.4% | 20.5% |
| Salt Lake County, UT | 29 | 7.9% | 12.5% |
| Sanpete County, UT | 24 | 12.2% | 24.7% |
| Utah County, UT | 16 | 9.0% | 11.4% |
| Tooele County, UT | 16 | 6.2% | 14.7% |
| Juab County, UT | 11 | 7.7% | 19.6% |
| Wasatch County, UT | 2 | 4.8% | 8.5% |
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 Utah County the poorest county in Utah?
No, Utah County's poverty rate was 9.0% in 2024, 17th 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, Utah County ranks 18th of 29 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Utah 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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Neighborworks Mountain Country Home Solutions
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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.
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 Utah County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.