Housing affordability has become one of the biggest topics in recent public discourse. That makes sense: Housing prices in Utah have increased sharply during the past five years. The median sales price of a home rose from $207,000 in 2013 to $298,950 in 2018. Median rents in Utah have increased from $851 in 2012 to $986 in 2017. From a longer-term perspective, housing cost increases in both Utah and most other Western states have consistently outpaced the nation at large.
Housing costs are certainly at the top of Utahns’ minds. In Utah Foundation’s 2018 Community Quality of Life Index survey (September), the availability of quality affordable housing was the worst-performing factor on the index. And in a follow-up released this month, Utah Foundation drilled down on housing affordability and revealed some intriguing details along the Wasatch Front.
Most striking is the finding that concerns about affordable housing appear to be heavily concentrated in Salt Lake County. In the three next-largest counties — Utah, Davis and Weber — only 7 percent to 8 percent of respondents see their personal housing as unaffordable. In rural counties, the percentage is 6 percent. But Salt Lake County is another story, with 20 percent seeing their housing as unaffordable. Salt Lake County residents were also much more likely to see affordability in the broader community as a problem.
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