Poverty in Utah
In 2023, nearly 295, 445 (9%) lived below the poverty line ($30,000 for a family of four). That is great than the entire populations of Washington, Iron, Beaver, Garfield, and Kane counties combined – the entire Southwest Region of Utah!
Although Utah’s poverty rate has been below the national average, Utah’s poverty rate increased in 2023 while the national poverty rate decreased. Housing affordability has become a major issue, affecting how families can cope with emergencies and other day-to-day expenses. Utah continues to lead the nation in economic growth – which could a sign that economic opportunity is not always shared by the most vulnerable in the state.
Poverty increased by .08% from 2022. This may look minor, but this means that 21,512 additional Utahns experienced poverty over one year – which is roughly the population of Highland, UT.
Key Facts:
- The poverty rate for Seniors 65+ is 8%.
- Utah’s child poverty rate for children 0-4 is 9.2% - an entire percent higher in the last year. The end of expanded child tax credits may have been a contribution.
- Females experience poverty at a higher rate (9.5%). This is almost 10% higher than poverty for males.
- The poverty rate for Native Americans is 19.8%, Blacks is 16.1%, and Hispanic is 13.1%
- 1/8 (12.5%) of Utah households are food insecure, meaning at some point during the year they had trouble providing enough food due to lack of money or resources
- The average monthly Fair Market Rent in Utah for a two-bedroom apartment is $1,398 (21.2% increase in three years). The hourly wage needed to afford that rent is $26.89 per hour.
- Someone working minimum wage would need to work 124 hours (or 3.1 full-time jobs) each week to afford a modest 1-bedroom rental at Fair Market Rent.
- On a given night, there are 3,687 homeless individuals – a 3.7% increase since last year. The number of unsheltered individuals was 980, an increase of 12.4% since the previous year.
- 48.3% of Utah renters and 22.7% of homeowners are cost burdened – meaning they spend more than 30% of income on housing and utilities.
- 1/5 Utahn’s use more than 75% of their available credit card limits. This suggests that many families “get by” by using credit cards for survival.
Sources: Prosperity Now Scorecard, 2019-2023 American Community Survey, State of Utah Annual Report on Homelessness 2022, National Low-Income Housing Coalition Out of Reach 2023, Feeding America 2023
Community Action's Response:
In FY 2024, Utah’s nine Community Action Agencies served 110,334 individuals with lower incomes. More than 70% of those served were at or below the poverty level and 43% were in deep poverty (below 50% of federal poverty level).
