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Most Americans have never been to Utah. However, as the people who live there know, Utah is an awesome state.
But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Utah has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Beehive State. Don't shoot the messenger, this is all using data.
After analyzing more than 69 of Utah's smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Utah where you'd never want to live:
These are the worst small towns in Utah for 2020:
- East Carbon
- Salina (Photos)
- Wendover
- La Verkin (Photos)
- Wellington
- Hildale (Photos)
- Milford
- Carbonville
- Mount Pleasant (Photos)
- Duchesne
So what is the worst small town to call home in utah for 2020? According to the most recent census data, East Carbon is the worst small town to live in Utah.
Of course, many of these cities would rank highly if they were in other states, since Utah has its stuff figured out.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.
And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in Utah or the worst places to live in Utah.
If you're looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.
The 10 Worst Small Towns In Utah For 2020
1. East Carbon
/10
Population: 1,341
Rank Last Year: -
Median Home Value: $60,000 (2nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 4.7% (22nd worst)
More on East Carbon:
/10
/10
Population: 1,118
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $35,300 (1st worst)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0% (74th worst)
More on Wendover: Data
/10
/10
Population: 1,491
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $121,700 (7th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 6.8% (11th worst)
More on Wellington: Data
/10
/10
Population: 1,651
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 6)
Median Home Value: $117,500 (5th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 6.5% (13th worst)
More on Milford: Data
/10
Population: 1,432
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 6)
Median Home Value: $137,200 (12th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 7.1% (9th worst)
More on Carbonville: Data
/10
/10
Population: 1,949
Rank Last Year: 14 (Up 4)
Median Home Value: $166,500 (23rd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 3.3% (36th worst)
More on Duchesne: Data
How do you decide if a place is lousy or not?
In order to rank the worst small towns to live in Utah, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. It isn't a stretch to assume that people like low crime, solid education, things to do and a stable economy.
So we scraped the internet for those criteria, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.
How we determined the worst small towns to live in Utah for 2020
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using FBI crime data and the Census's 2014-2018 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (The lower the worse)
- Highest Unemployment Rates
- Low housing costs (meaning there's no demand)
- Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
- Education (Number of high school dropouts)
- High Crime
We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which, there were a lot - 69 to be exact.
Additional note: We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets its crime numbers from the cities themselves. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.
This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased.
There You Have It - The Worst Small Towns In Utah
If you're analyzing teeny places in the Beehive State with the worst economic situations, where there's high crime and there's not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.
If you're curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Utah, according to science:
- Silver Summit (Pop. 4,210)
- Midway (Pop. 4,881)
- Mountain Green (Pop. 3,732)
For more Utah reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In Utah
| Rank | Town | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Carbon | 1,341 |
| 2 | Salina | 2,526 |
| 3 | Wendover | 1,118 |
| 4 | La Verkin | 4,268 |
| 5 | Wellington | 1,491 |
| 6 | Hildale | 2,916 |
| 7 | Milford | 1,651 |
| 8 | Carbonville | 1,432 |
| 9 | Mount Pleasant | 3,365 |
| 10 | Duchesne | 1,949 |
| 11 | Delta | 3,497 |
| 12 | Castle Dale | 1,532 |
| 13 | Fillmore | 2,521 |
| 14 | Rocky Ridge | 1,054 |
| 15 | Kanab | 4,529 |
| 16 | Fountain Green | 1,133 |
| 17 | Lewiston | 2,104 |
| 18 | Huntington | 1,926 |
| 19 | Hideout | 1,123 |
| 20 | Genola | 1,255 |
| 21 | Spring City | 1,062 |
| 22 | Moroni | 1,651 |
| 23 | Blanding | 3,685 |
| 24 | Panguitch | 1,773 |
| 25 | Gunnison | 3,388 |
| 26 | Helper | 2,051 |
| 27 | Parowan | 2,965 |
| 28 | Ferron | 1,516 |
| 29 | Naples | 2,800 |
| 30 | Goshen | 1,108 |
| 31 | Manti | 3,468 |
| 32 | Fairview | 1,319 |
| 33 | Enterprise | 1,635 |
| 34 | Beaver | 3,037 |
| 35 | Monticello | 2,546 |
| 36 | Monroe | 2,475 |
| 37 | Kamas | 2,438 |
| 38 | Garland | 2,487 |
| 39 | Centerfield | 1,372 |
| 40 | Richmond | 2,622 |
| 41 | Coalville | 1,578 |
| 42 | Oakley | 1,442 |
| 43 | Paradise | 1,123 |
| 44 | Spring Glen | 1,063 |
| 45 | Orangeville | 1,443 |
| 46 | Maeser | 4,392 |
| 47 | Marriott-Slaterville | 2,142 |
| 48 | Vineyard | 4,873 |
| 49 | Erda | 2,666 |
| 50 | Emigration Canyon | 1,828 |
| 51 | Francis | 1,187 |
| 52 | Honeyville | 1,538 |
| 53 | Willard | 1,805 |
| 54 | Wellsville | 3,698 |
| 55 | Mona | 1,542 |
| 56 | Millville | 1,911 |
| 57 | Woodland Hills | 1,380 |
| 58 | Hyde Park | 4,467 |
| 59 | Uintah | 1,525 |
| 60 | Benjamin | 1,017 |
| 61 | River Heights | 2,002 |
| 62 | Daniel | 1,092 |
| 63 | Perry | 4,828 |
| 64 | Elk Ridge | 3,460 |
| 65 | Morgan | 4,138 |
| 66 | Mendon | 1,110 |
| 67 | Silver Summit | 4,210 |
| 68 | Midway | 4,881 |
| 69 | Mountain Green | 3,732 |
How Is The Area In ?
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