Utah

How Utah ranks: low late payments, high bankruptcy filings

Utah’s low State Distress Index score masks a split. In early 2025, its card and mortgage borrowers were among the least likely in the country to be seriously behind (Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia). Yet its 2025 bankruptcy filings per resident ranked 9th highest (U.S. Courts). The figures count different people and events; one does not explain the other. See the debt measures.

Utah’s score across the quarterly history

Is Utah expensive to live in? Rent is high, but severe rent burden is lower than the nation’s

Utah’s median monthly gross rent was $1,496 in the Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 survey, above the U.S. $1,413. In the separate 2024 survey, 21.3% of Utah renter households spent at least half their income on rent and utilities, below the U.S. 26.1%. Rent is a price; the burden share also reflects income. Neither measure is a complete cost-of-living index.

The median rent and severe-burden figures come from different Census surveys. They cannot be divided to estimate a household’s actual rent share. The burden figure counts renters paying at least half their own income, so it exposes pressure a statewide median can hide.

Utah also has a higher homeownership share than the U.S. in the Census five-year estimates: 70.2% against 65.2%. See income and poverty →

San Juan has Utah’s highest poverty rate and distress score

San Juan County had Utah’s highest 2024 poverty rate, 19.5%, in the Census Bureau’s estimates. It also has the highest County Distress Index score, 62. Morgan County has the lowest score, 1, and the lowest poverty rate, 4.2%. The state’s low score does not describe every county. Compare all Utah counties.

Every county, by score

Most of Utah’s counties sit in the lightest band: 20 score below 30. Only 2 reach the 50–69 band. The map and complete list show the wide local spread behind the state score.

All Utah counties, ranked →

Utah has one of the lowest poverty rates in the country

The Census Bureau estimated that 8.4% of Utah residents lived below the poverty line in 2024, compared with 12.1% nationwide. That was 2nd lowest among the states and D.C. Utah’s median household income was $96,398, above the U.S. $81,604. These statewide figures hide San Juan County’s 19.5% poverty rate.

The poverty chart places Utah beside the national rate over time. The Census Bureau did not publish state figures for every year in the span, so gaps in the lines are missing releases rather than zero poverty.

Poverty is a threshold measure, not a count of people struggling with housing or debt. The county map shows where Utah’s low statewide rate differs sharply from local conditions. Compare counties →

Utah’s unemployment rate is below the U.S. rate

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics put Utah’s August 2026 unemployment rate at 3.5%, against 4.1% nationally. The June–August average was 3.6%. Piute County had Utah’s highest county rate in August, 5.9%; Daggett County had its lowest, 2.7%. County rates are not seasonally adjusted like the state rate.

The chart follows the state and U.S. jobless rates. It shows the path behind the latest figure without treating a monthly move as proof of a lasting change.

The Census Bureau estimates Utah’s population rose 7.8% from 2020 to 2025. See housing costs →

Utah carries high debt balances, yet fewer borrowers are seriously late

At the end of 2025, household debt averaged $83,350 per Utah person with a credit report, 6th highest among states and D.C. (Federal Reserve Bank of New York). The Philadelphia Fed found only 8.3% of Utah card borrowers were at least 90 days late in early 2025, below the U.S. 13.5%. The balance counts dollars; the late-payment rate counts people with that loan.

People behind on payments

Utah’s seriously late shares were below the nation’s on cards, car loans and mortgages in the Philadelphia Fed’s early 2025 records. Its collections share was also lower. The chart compares those borrower measures. American Default calculates each U.S. comparison as a population-weighted average of the states.

Utah had lower serious-lateness and collections shares than the U.S.

Share of people with each kind of credit who were at least 90 days late in the first quarter of 2025; collections counts people with a debt in collections.

Credit cards

Utah 8.3% U.S. 13.5%

Car loans

Utah 4.5% U.S. 8.5%

Mortgages

Utah 0.6% U.S. 1.2%

Collections

Utah 9.3% U.S. 13.2%

Dollars behind tell a different part of the story

The New York Fed measures the share of loan dollars at least 90 days late, rather than the share of borrowers. Its end-of-2025 Utah card figure was 9.5%, against 12.4% nationally; for auto loans, 3.0% against 5.2%. The two Fed panels cover different units and dates, so their percentages should not be substituted for one another. The New York Fed’s stock of late debt can retain charged-off balances.

Utah’s bankruptcy filing rate is high despite low late-payment shares

U.S. Courts recorded 7,912 Utah bankruptcy filings in 2025, or 223.6 per 100,000 residents using the 2025 population. That rate ranked 9th highest among the states and D.C. Utah’s 2025 filings rose 16.3% from 2024, compared with a U.S. increase of 11.1%.

A bankruptcy filing can involve obligations beyond the card, car and mortgage loans in the Philadelphia Fed panel. The data also cover different denominators and reporting periods. They establish a contrast, not the reason for it. See the underlying borrower figures →

Of Utah’s 2025 filings, 34.4% were under Chapter 13, near the U.S. 35.9%. National bankruptcy statistics →

What Utah’s mortgage measures say, and where to read the foreclosure rules

The Philadelphia Fed found 0.6% of Utah mortgage borrowers were at least 90 days late in early 2025, against 1.2% nationally. The Federal Housing Finance Agency estimated 4.9% of Utah mortgages had less than 10% equity in the second quarter of 2026, near the U.S. 4.7%. These measures cover different loans and questions.

Utah law permits a trust-deed foreclosure through a trustee sale. The path and protections depend on the documents and facts. Read Utah’s general foreclosure overview →

What changed in Utah in the past year

These dated changes concern jobs, food purchases and taxes. None by itself explains Utah’s distress score.

1. Oct. 16, 2026

   Utah published its September jobs report

   The Utah Department of Workforce Services estimated September unemployment at 3.5% and nonfarm payroll employment 1.4% above September 2025. The June–August average was 3.6%; September’s rate is newer and may be revised. See the jobs comparison →

   Utah Department of Workforce Services, September 2026 employment report

2. July 1, 2026

   The state gasoline tax rate fell for the second half of the year

   The Utah State Tax Commission lowered the gasoline tax from 37.9 cents per gallon in the first half of 2026 to 31.9 cents per gallon for July through December.

   Utah State Tax Commission, fuel tax rates

3. May 6, 2026

   Utah reduced its individual income tax rate

   The Utah Legislature changed the individual income tax rate from 4.5% to 4.45% for the 2026 tax year.

   Utah Legislature, current individual income tax law and prior version

4. Jan. 1, 2026

   SNAP benefits stopped covering soft drinks in Utah

   Under a state law and federal waiver, Utah’s food assistance program no longer pays for soft drinks. The Department of Workforce Services lists the covered products. The rule concerns what benefits can buy, not the amount each household receives.

   Utah Department of Workforce Services, eligible SNAP groceries

What Utah mortgage borrowers told the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau database includes 2,906 Utah mortgage complaints from January 2012 through the October 2026 cutoff. The latest complaints about processing a mortgage payment or getting help with an unaffordable payment appear below. The bureau publishes what consumers submitted; it does not verify every account or show how common a problem is among all borrowers.

Read the Utah foreclosure overview →

What to watch before the next edition

Scheduled releases may change the context for Utah’s next quarterly edition.

1. Nov. 10, 2026

   October national consumer prices

   The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics schedules its October Consumer Price Index release. It tracks a national market basket, not every Utah household’s cost of living.

   U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, consumer price release calendar

2. Nov. 20, 2026

   October state unemployment rates

   The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics schedules its October state unemployment report. Monthly estimates may be revised.

   U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, state release calendar

3. Dec. 18, 2026

   November state unemployment rates

   The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics schedules its November state jobless-rate release. Later revisions can change a previously reported rate.

   U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, state release calendar

Where Utah ranks highest and lowest

Utah’s positions depend on what is counted. The table keeps each producer, unit and period separate.