If you are planning on moving to Utah, there is a lot to consider before you do so. While it may be easy to hire a great moving company with the help of Verified Movers, you also need to make sure that you are ready for the change in lifestyle. And that means that you need to find out more about life in Utah. In this article, we are going to present you with some Utah statistics, as well as the pros and cons of living in the Beehive State.
What to expect after moving to Utah
While you can definitely figure out things on your own after relocating, it is usually much better to be informed prior to the relocation. With that in mind, we are going to follow the following topics:
- Utah statistics and rankings
- Pros and cons of living in Utah
There are a lot of great places in Utah so you might want to consider your new home carefully. While there are many great cross country moving companies West Jordan has to offer, for example, it is always better if you don’t end up relocating again because you don’t like your new home area. But for now, let’s take a look at what Utah looks like overall, statistically speaking.
Utah rankings and statistics
Utah is pretty much top-tier among all the US states. It holds an impressive #3 overall ranking, according to usnews.com, up from #4 in 2019. The state spans an area of around 84,898 square miles, has a population of about 3,206,000 people, 44% of which are college-educated. Utah’s GDP is $193 Billion.
More importantly, the median household income in Utah is around $71,600, well above the national average. This, combined with a few specific rankings make the Beehive State one of the most desirable states to live in. Here are the full rankings:
- Economy – #1
- Education – #10
- Health Care – #11
- Opportunity – #30
- Infrastructure – #5
- Fiscal Stability – #5
- Natural Environment – #47
- Crime/Corrections – #8
As you can see, apart from the natural environment and Opportunity (something that Utah is not famous for), all the other rankings are exceptionally high. Most importantly, the #1 rank in Economy, coupled with #5 infrastructure and fiscal stability make Utah an economic powerhouse, despite its smaller size. The job market is extremely healthy and there are great opportunities for high-income positions. As many cross country moving companies Provo has on offer will testify, more and more people are looking to relocate to the state. But a state is much more than a simple set of rankings, life in Utah comes with many pros and cons. Let’s see what they are.
Pros and cons of moving to Utah
Pro: Exceptional economic growth
Utah’s #1 economy ranking stems from three major factors: Business environment, growth rate, and the job market. You may think that being a small state means that there is not much room for economic growth but you would be wrong. Utah is one of the states that has set the highest corporate tax rate to below 5%. This means that businesses can profit from an increased cash flow by operating in the state. Coupled with the fact that Utah has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, we start to see why the state ranks so highly.
Con: Extreme weather
The state of Utah gets very hot during the summer. The land is considered a high desert, after all, so it is not uncommon for summer days to breach the 80s and go well into the 90s. On some days, the temperature even breaks 100! This is more prevalent in Southern and Central Utah, though. The best thing to do would be to talk to the locals about the weather in your new hometown. For example, you can get a lot of information from cross country moving companies Orem has, as well as how they normally deal with the weather. They will be able to explain to you how to deal with thunderstorms and flash floods, as well as summer wildfires and occasional tornadoes. Yes, the weather does get that bad on occasion.
Pro: Competitive living costs
While Utah might not be one of the cheapest states to live in, the costs of living are quite competitive when balanced against your budget. For example, the average rental prices in Utah are on par with the national average, despite the median income being higher. For this reason, most long distance moving companies West Jordan has on offer experience thousands of relocation requests each year. The cost of groceries, transportation, and utilities is lower than the national average, making Utah one of the most cost-effective states to live in. Lastly, if you are spending some money on childcare, expect the bill to be as much as 25% lower in Utah.
Con: High housing costs
This one is absolutely logical, given the state’s rankings, economy, and high-income potential. However, this does mean that purchasing a home in the state can be exceedingly difficult. You may want to consider spending quite a lot of time searching for an ideal home to buy. As most long distance moving companies Orem has to offer can tell you, most people choose to rent their homes, at least initially. This is due to the fact that purchasing a home in the state is as much as 45% more expensive than the national average. The median home value in Utah is absolutely staggering, at almost $530,000!
Pro: Positive demographic trends
As you might have imagined, the state of Utah experiences large growth due to everything stated above. In the last 10 years, the population increased by almost 20%! Furthermore, the demographical trends have a few very positive effects on the state, such as:
- Utah has a young population
- Utahans are generous and friendly by nature
- The population is well-educated
- No negative effects of urbanization as of yet
As you can see, moving to Utah might be the best decision you have ever made. If you can contend with an occasional spell of bad weather, and the lack of variety in the natural environment, you will get to benefit from an extremely robust and diverse economy, high income, as well as friendly and generous people.