Provo, UT vs Salt Lake City, UT

At $26,755 per capita income, Provo, UT and Salt Lake City, UT differ sharply in 2023 Census figures, with Salt Lake City’s $49,642 sitting 86% higher, a gap mirrored in the 11th versus 77th percentiles. Median household income follows the same pattern: $62,800 in Provo against $74,925 in Salt Lake City, 19% higher, while the poverty rate runs 22.3% in Provo versus 13.4% in Salt Lake City, an 8.9-point spread. The two cities also diverge on household composition—Provo’s average household size of 3 is 36% larger than Salt Lake City’s 2.2, and Provo’s median age of 23.7 is 9.3 years younger, placing Provo in the 2nd percentile for age.

Crime figures show the widest gaps. Violent crime per 100,000 people is 174 in Provo and 857 in Salt Lake City, 4.9× higher in the latter, with percentiles of 36 and 97 respectively; property crime runs 1,113 versus 4,753, 4.3× higher. The 5-year violent crime trend is rising in Provo but falling in Salt Lake City. Healthcare access scores differ by 46 points—42/100 in Provo versus 88/100 in Salt Lake City, putting Provo in the 12th percentile and Salt Lake City in the 56th—while the grades reflect that: C- for Provo and A for Salt Lake City.

Other 2023 figures add context: median home values are $437,100 in Provo and $495,700 in Salt Lake City (13% higher), and median rent is $1,152 versus $1,343 (17% higher). The cost-of-living index stands at 121 for Provo and 140 for Salt Lake City. Population density is 48% higher in Provo at 2,729 per square mile versus 1,839, even though Salt Lake City’s population of 203,888 is 78% larger than Provo’s 114,303.