Layton vs Salt Lake City
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $477,700 in Layton and $539,500 in Salt Lake City.
- Households earn more in Layton ($102,480 vs $75,090 median).
- Salt Lake City gets far more snow: 52 inches a year vs 23.
- Salt Lake City has more scorching days: 62 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 41.
- Salt Lake City is growing faster: +9.4% since 2020 vs +4.3%.
- Commutes are shorter in Salt Lake City (20 vs 23 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Layton, UT | Salt Lake City, UT | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 85,308 | 218,428 |
| Growth since 2020 | +4.3% | +9.4% |
| People per square mile | 3,781 | 1,970 |
| Median age | 32.3 | 32.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 37% | 52% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $102,480 | $75,090 |
| Median home value | $477,700 | $539,500 |
| Home value to income | 4.7× | 7.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,538 | $1,414 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 100.3 | 100.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 117.9 | 123.3 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,300 | $75,700 |
| Homeowners | 73% | 46% |
| Top state income tax | 4.5% | 4.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.42% | 7.42% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 22.9 | 19.5 |
| Work from home | 16% | 21% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 5% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 2.8% | 4.2% |
| Poverty rate | 8.1% | 13.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 37° / 20° | 39° / 24° |
| July high / low | 92° / 64° | 94° / 68° |
| Precipitation per year | 26 in | 16 in |
| Snowfall per year | 23 in | 52 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 41 | 62 |
| Nights below freezing | 132 | 112 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 87.8 | 98.6 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 56% | 33% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.7% | +2.4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +33.2% | +33.4% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Layton: May to June and September. Salt Lake City: May to June and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Layton weather by month and Salt Lake City weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $75,300 in Layton and $75,700 in Salt Lake City. Moving from Layton to Salt Lake City, you would need about $75,400 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Layton and Salt Lake City
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Layton and Salt Lake City.
Which would you pick?
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