State ranking · HUD FMR + Census ACS

Utah: County Rent Burden

How much of household income goes to rent in each Utah county, FY 2026.

20.2%
State avg 2BR burden
1
Counties over 30% (of 29)
0
Severely burdened (>50%)

What rent burden reveals about Utah

Rent burden measures the share of household income going to rent. The federal standard, used by HUD and the Census Bureau, flags any household paying more than 30% of gross income on rent as "cost-burdened" and any household above 50% as "severely cost-burdened." This page calculates county-level burden by dividing HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rents — 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom — by Census-reported median household income for each county in Utah. Across the 29 counties with complete data, the weighted average 2-bedroom burden is 20.2%, compared with a national average of 21.7% — meaning Utah sits 1.5 percentage points lower than the US benchmark.

The distribution matters more than the state average. In Utah, 1 of 29 counties (3%) have a 2-bedroom burden above 30%, and 0 counties cross the severe-burden threshold of 50%. The most burdened county is Piute County at 31%, where the FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,153 eats that share of the local median income of $44,650. Because HUD's FMR sits at the 40th percentile of gross rents, this calculation understates the reality faced by renters paying market-rate: many higher-quality units in each county rent well above FMR, pushing actual burden rates even higher than the numbers shown below.

Burden data has direct policy stakes. High-burden counties see stronger demand for Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers (which cap tenant contribution at 30% of adjusted income and cover the gap up to FMR) and for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) units, both of which rely on HUD's FMR as the foundational input. High burden also correlates with longer waitlists for public housing and greater housing instability — eviction filings, doubling up, and homelessness all rise in counties above the 50% threshold. Pair this page with the cheapest-counties ranking and year-over-year rent growth to see which Utah counties are getting more affordable, which are tightening fastest, and where the burden gap between Utah and the rest of the country is widening or narrowing.

State Avg Burden
20.2%
National Avg
21.7%
Counties > 30%
1
of 29
Severely Burdened
0
> 50% of income

All Counties by Rent Burden

# County 1 BR Rent 2 BR Rent 1 BR Burden 2 BR Burden
1 Piute County $960 $1,153 25.8% 31%
2 Grand County $1,303 $1,564 25% 30%
3 Kane County $1,265 $1,660 20.2% 26.6%
4 San Juan County $872 $1,144 19.1% 25%
5 Washington County $1,218 $1,575 19.1% 24.7%
6 Daggett County $960 $1,153 19.6% 23.6%
7 Carbon County $857 $1,041 19.2% 23.3%
8 Weber County $1,281 $1,614 17.7% 22.2%
9 Salt Lake County $1,456 $1,747 18.5% 22.1%
10 Sanpete County $900 $1,181 16% 21%
11 Iron County $888 $1,120 16.3% 20.5%
12 Juab County $1,265 $1,460 16.9% 19.5%
13 Garfield County $898 $984 17.5% 19.1%
14 Summit County $1,887 $2,185 16.5% 19.1%
15 Cache County $946 $1,241 14.5% 19%
16 Millard County $857 $1,124 14.5% 19%
17 Wasatch County $1,594 $1,747 16.6% 18.2%
18 Duchesne County $940 $1,129 15.1% 18.1%
19 Utah County $1,265 $1,460 15.7% 18.1%
20 Davis County $1,281 $1,614 14.2% 17.9%
21 Sevier County $945 $1,085 15.4% 17.7%
22 Uintah County $846 $1,032 14.5% 17.7%
23 Box Elder County $983 $1,118 15.1% 17.2%
24 Emery County $888 $973 15.2% 16.7%
25 Wayne County $810 $973 13.9% 16.7%
26 Beaver County $988 $1,186 13.8% 16.6%
27 Morgan County $1,281 $1,614 12.2% 15.4%
28 Rich County $810 $973 12.6% 15.2%
29 Tooele County $946 $1,241 11.1% 14.6%
National burden rankings → All Utah rents → Cheapest counties →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the rent burden in Utah? ▼
The average 2-bedroom rent burden in Utah is 20.2% of household income. 1 of 29 counties exceed the 30% affordability threshold.
Which counties in Utah are most rent burdened? ▼
The most rent-burdened county is Piute County at 31% of income. No counties exceed the 50% severe burden threshold.
How does Utah compare to the national average? ▼
Utah's average rent burden is 20.2% vs the national average of 21.7%. That's 1.5 percentage points lower than average.

Data sources: HUD FY 2026 Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau median household income. Rent burden = (annual FMR ÷ median income) × 100.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.