To make our study more contextually accurate, we divided cities in Utah into three categories based on their population size. We studied 12 large cities with populations exceeding 50,000, 38 midsize cities with populations between 10,000 and 50,000 residents, and 29 small towns with populations under 10,000.
Read on for our deep dive into the safest cities in the state of Utah.
Safest Large Cities in Utah
With 12 cities having over 50,000 residents in our study, the average crime score for large cities in Utah was 54. For large cities, crime scores ranged from as low as 20 to as high as 130.
The safest large city in Utah was the city of Lehi, which is located on the north shore of Utah Lake about halfway between the Salt Lake City and the Provo metropolitan areas. The city is named after a prophet in the Book of Mormon, and Lehi has a rapidly developing technology economy.
Salt Lake City, which is the capital and the most populous city in the state of Utah, also had the most crime among large cities in Utah. The city is adjacent to the Great Salt Lake, which is the namesake of the city. The city is the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and it also boasts a modern services economy, which includes such industries as healthcare services, education, and transportation, including Delta’s hub at SLC airport.
| Rank | City | Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents | Property Crimes per 1,000 Residents | Crime Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lehi | 3.3 | 10.7 | 20.2 |
| 2 | Orem | 2.1 | 18.4 | 24.9 |
| 3 | Logan | 7.1 | 16.7 | 33.6 |
| 4 | South Jordan | 8.4 | 19.6 | 34.3 |
| 5 | Provo | 6.5 | 17.7 | 35.6 |
| 6 | St. George | 11.4 | 16.1 | 41.3 |
| 7 | Layton | 12.5 | 20.1 | 44.3 |
| 8 | Sandy | 11.0 | 27.0 | 48.4 |
| 9 | West Jordan | 11.3 | 26.4 | 52.3 |
| 10 | Ogden | 23.7 | 35.7 | 86.9 |
| 11 | West Valley | 19.9 | 36.0 | 96.9 |
| 12 | Salt Lake City | 26.7 | 61.9 | 130.5 |
Safest Midsize Cities in Utah
We studied 38 midsize cities in Utah that had between 10,000 and 50,000 residents. Among these cities, the average crime score was 33, with the crime scores ranging from 7 in the safest city to 160 in the city with the highest crime.
The safest midsize city in Utah was Mapleton, a city of approximately 10,000 residents located southeast of Provo. Mapleton is a traditionally rural community that is rapidly suburbanizing. The city has a unique Pioneer Day celebration where ping pong balls are dropped from helicopters to be collected by children for prizes.
| Rank | City | Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents | Property Crimes per 1,000 Residents | Crime Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mapleton | 0.7 | 5.6 | 6.8 |
| 2 | Lone Peak | 0.5 | 5.0 | 7.5 |
| 3 | Santaquin/Genola | 1.0 | 8.4 | 11.7 |
| 4 | Spanish Fork | 2.2 | 8.8 | 13.2 |
| 5 | Santa Clara/Ivins | 4.6 | 7.7 | 15.0 |
| 6 | Kaysville | 3.0 | 7.6 | 15.9 |
| 7 | North Park | 3.7 | 10.8 | 17.1 |
| 8 | North Ogden | 3.7 | 11.8 | 18.5 |
| 9 | Syracuse | 4.5 | 7.8 | 19.0 |
| 10 | Saratoga Springs | 5.2 | 7.2 | 19.2 |
| 11 | Pleasant Grove | 4.7 | 10.8 | 20.3 |
| 12 | Farmington | 4.3 | 12.3 | 20.5 |
| 13 | Pleasant View | 4.3 | 10.1 | 20.7 |
| 14 | Bluffdale | 3.4 | 12.1 | 20.8 |
| 15 | Payson | 2.4 | 15.8 | 21.3 |
| 16 | Lindon | 1.3 | 13.3 | 22.3 |
| 17 | Clinton | 6.1 | 13.6 | 23.2 |
| 18 | American Fork/Cedar Hlls | 3.3 | 17.4 | 24.2 |
| 19 | Springville | 3.1 | 18.7 | 26.1 |
| 20 | Heber | 4.5 | 13.8 | 27.1 |
| 21 | Bountiful | 5.7 | 14.8 | 28.4 |
| 22 | Woods Cross | 7.8 | 15.6 | 29.3 |
| 23 | Roy | 10.6 | 13.2 | 32.8 |
| 24 | Brigham City | 5.8 | 18.7 | 33.2 |
| 25 | Washington | 7.5 | 17.2 | 33.3 |
| 26 | North Salt Lake | 8.5 | 19.2 | 35.8 |
| 27 | Clearfield | 10.5 | 14.7 | 36.4 |
| 28 | South Ogden | 7.0 | 19.2 | 36.5 |
| 29 | Cottonwood Heights | 6.1 | 23.1 | 36.6 |
| 30 | Centerville | 5.1 | 21.2 | 37.4 |
| 31 | Hurricane | 13.5 | 16.1 | 37.6 |
| 32 | Draper | 8.4 | 20.4 | 41.8 |
| 33 | Cedar City | 8.2 | 23.3 | 43.5 |
| 34 | Grantsville | 12.6 | 17.3 | 46.4 |
| 35 | Tooele | 6.7 | 32.6 | 58.1 |
| 36 | Vernal | 19.9 | 24.9 | 63.9 |
| 37 | Murray | 14.9 | 61.1 | 102.3 |
| 38 | South Salt Lake | 31.8 | 71.4 | 160.1 |
Safest Small Towns in Utah
Among small towns in Utah, the safest was Salem. Salem’s crime score was 11, and the city had 0.1 violent crimes per 1,000 residents and 8 property crimes per 1,000 residents. Salem is a small city located just south of the Provo area. The city holds Salem Days, a local festival, on an annual basis.
In the following table, we list crime statistics for 29 small towns in Utah, which includes data on the number of violent and property crimes per 1,000 residents, as well as each city’s crime score. The average crime score for small cities in Utah was 48, while the range of scores was as low as 11 and as high as 100.
| Rank | City | Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents | Property Crimes per 1,000 Residents | Crime Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salem | 1.6 | 8.1 | 11.3 |
| 2 | Monticello | 2.5 | 9.0 | 12.6 |
| 3 | Kanab | 3.2 | 6.8 | 14.3 |
| 4 | Fountain Green | 2.6 | 6.2 | 15.1 |
| 5 | Naples | 3.8 | 4.8 | 20.0 |
| 6 | Mount Pleasant | 4.1 | 14.5 | 26.7 |
| 7 | Tremonton | 4.8 | 17.2 | 29.0 |
| 8 | Nephi | 4.0 | 16.6 | 31.3 |
| 9 | Ephraim | 7.0 | 12.3 | 34.1 |
| 10 | Spring City | 0.9 | 19.0 | 34.2 |
| 11 | Perry | 3.0 | 16.1 | 35.0 |
| 12 | Enoch | 9.6 | 5.5 | 38.7 |
| 13 | Richfield | 4.6 | 31.8 | 40.0 |
| 14 | La Verkin | 10.9 | 13.9 | 40.6 |
| 15 | Helper | 9.2 | 22.7 | 41.4 |
| 16 | Garland | 8.7 | 20.1 | 41.7 |
| 17 | Willard | 3.7 | 18.7 | 42.0 |
| 18 | Sunset | 13.2 | 15.6 | 45.2 |
| 19 | Harrisville | 7.2 | 33.5 | 49.0 |
| 20 | Salina | 7.0 | 35.5 | 52.0 |
| 21 | West Bountiful | 12.6 | 25.8 | 63.3 |
| 22 | Springdale | 18.3 | 34.9 | 67.2 |
| 23 | Parowan | 13.0 | 16.9 | 68.3 |
| 24 | Park City | 15.0 | 26.6 | 73.6 |
| 25 | Riverdale | 12.5 | 60.4 | 86.9 |
| 26 | Alta | 0.0 | 39.0 | 93.5 |
| 27 | Price | 15.2 | 59.5 | 97.4 |
| 28 | Roosevelt | 34.8 | 29.9 | 97.5 |
| 29 | Moab | 26.0 | 33.2 | 99.9 |
Methodology
To conduct this study, AdvisorSmith examined crime data reported by cities and law enforcement agencies in the state of Utah to the Federal Bureau of Investigation to calculate crime levels in various cities. The data was collected from the Uniform Crime Reporting Data Set, which aggregates data from Return A for cities around the country. This data set provides the number of violent crimes such as murder, assault, rape, and robbery, as well as the number of property crimes, such as larceny, burglary, and motor vehicle theft reported in each city.
AdvisorSmith developed a proprietary crime score for each city by applying a multiplier to more serious crimes such as murder and rape, and then aggregating the crime levels in each city. We then calculated the crime levels adjusted for population to calculate the crime score in each city. Cities with less than two months of crime data reported were not included in this analysis. Additionally, for cities that reported fewer than 12 full months of data, we scaled the crime score so that the crime levels would reflect a proportionate full year’s worth of crime.
To determine the safest small, midsize, and large cities in the state, we divided the cities in our analysis into three groups based on population. Small towns were those with under 10,000 residents. Midsize cities had between 10,000 and 50,000 residents, and large cities in Utah had over 50,000 residents. We then ranked cities with their population groups to find the safest small, midsize, and large cities in Utah.
Sources
1. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A, 2018