Ogden vs Salt Lake City
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $355,600 in Ogden and $539,500 in Salt Lake City.
- Ogden gets far more snow: 108 inches a year vs 52.
- Salt Lake City is growing faster: +9.4% since 2020 vs +2.5%.
- Commutes are shorter in Salt Lake City (20 vs 23 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Ogden, UT | Salt Lake City, UT | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 89,510 | 218,428 |
| Growth since 2020 | +2.5% | +9.4% |
| People per square mile | 3,251 | 1,970 |
| Median age | 33.6 | 32.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 26% | 52% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $72,575 | $75,090 |
| Median home value | $355,600 | $539,500 |
| Home value to income | 4.9× | 7.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,216 | $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 | 61% | 46% |
| Top state income tax | 4.5% | 4.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.42% | 7.42% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 22.5 | 19.5 |
| Work from home | 12% | 21% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 5% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.1% | 4.2% |
| Poverty rate | 13.7% | 13.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 36° / 21° | 39° / 24° |
| July high / low | 91° / 65° | 94° / 68° |
| Precipitation per year | 16 in | 16 in |
| Snowfall per year | 108 in | 52 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 49 | 62 |
| Nights below freezing | 121 | 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) | 87.0 | 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: Ogden: May to June and September. Salt Lake City: May to June and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Ogden 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 Ogden and $75,700 in Salt Lake City. Moving from Ogden to Salt Lake City, you would need about $75,400 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Ogden 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 Ogden and Salt Lake City.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.