Utah Quality-of-Life Index Names Housing Affordability Lowest-Rated Factor

Salt Lake City, UT, October 13, 2026 —

The 2026 Utah Community Quality of Life Index identifies housing affordability as the lowest-rated factor affecting residents’ quality of life in the state. The statewide report also finds that housing affordability has declined significantly since 2013.

According to the index, 91% of renters are now priced out of a median-priced home. The report summary links that finding to an overall dip in Utah’s quality-of-life scores, though it does not provide figures for the size of the decline in those scores.

The findings point to housing costs as a major concern in the index’s assessment of residents’ quality of life. However, the information provided does not specify how the index defines being “priced out,” how affordability was measured, or which other factors were assessed. It also does not identify the report’s publisher or describe the methods used to gather and analyze the data.

The summary does not provide a breakdown by city, region, or renter group, nor does it include details about home prices, household incomes, or changes in those measures since 2013. As a result, the reported statewide figures show the index’s overall assessment but do not explain how affordability conditions may differ across Utah.

The report’s stated findings are that housing affordability is the lowest-rated quality-of-life factor, that it has worsened significantly since 2013, and that 91% of renters are priced out of a median-priced home. Further details about the index’s data and methodology were not included in the information provided.

Story summarized from the original created by Frizz Flake on www.deseret.com, see more information here.

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