City profile · Utah · Census ACS 2023

West Valley City, UT

West Valley City's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

137,955
Residents
$88,604
Median income
$377,300
Median home
$1,313
Median rent (state)
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See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for West Valley City.

Place dossier plate

Sheet UT-WEST-VALLEY-CITY-UT · West Valley City, UT 137,955 pop · income 70th pct

POP-MID · INC-HIGH · COL-PAR · SAFE-UNK · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-MID · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-MID 137,955
  • INC-HIGH $88,604
  • COL-PAR 98.9
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-UPPER 70th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Brookdale
  • HOME-MID $377,300
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Brookdale, CA ( $1 income $)

Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.

Income neighbourhood around West Valley City

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest West Valley City on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for West Valley City on ACS population and median household income . Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.

Similar population

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 137,955.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $88,604. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

West Valley City - the verdict

Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, West Valley City places in the 70th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.

70th
percentile, household income
75th
percentile, home value
60th
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: West Valley City, UT

Census ACS 2023 estimates count 137,955 residents in West Valley City, a mid-sized U.S. city within Utah. West Valley City households earn a median of $88,604 annually, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 8.2%. Typical homes in West Valley City are valued around $377,300, and the median resident age is 30.3 years. 15.7% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 69.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

In 2024, 68 residential building permits were authorized in West Valley City (Construction Slowdown), down 82% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data.

Utah tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Utah scores 98.9 (Near Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,313 per month statewide. Monthly utility costs average around $178 across Utah, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Workers in West Valley City report an average commute of 20.0 minutes, with 71.9% driving alone and 10.1% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 36.2 out of 100 (Very Low).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of West Valley City's data

How this reading path is ordered

This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from housing and income to comparison shortlist to population change to work and mobility to schools and households; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For West Valley City, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, matched public-school count, annual population history, commute-mode shares. No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles, FBI reported-crime rates; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

1. Housing and income

How far does income reach against housing in West Valley City?

This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.

The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 4.3 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 8.2%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

Compare the housing trade-off →

2. Comparison shortlist

Which cities make useful reference points for West Valley City?

Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.

Within Utah, the closest population matches are West Jordan (116,277 residents, $103,960 income); Provo (114,303 residents, $62,800 income); St. George (99,184 residents, $72,870 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Columbia, SC (138,019 residents); Warren, MI (138,128 residents); Hampton, VA (137,334 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

Question 3

Is West Valley City growing, shrinking, or holding steady?

Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -2,536 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -1.8% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 68 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.

Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.

See the national growth ranking →

Question 4

What does the journey to work look like in West Valley City?

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 71.9%. The reported mean trip to work is 20.0 minutes.

Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.

Compare commute patterns →

Other supported questions

Why these stay compact

These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.

Schools and households

What does the education layer cover for West Valley City?

The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.

The NCES join finds 35 public schools within the city match. 15.7% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.

Poverty estimate
8.2%
Bachelor's degree+
15.7%
Matched public schools
35

NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.

See how the family ranking is built →

Population

137,955 residents

Mid-size city (50k–199k)

Median Household Income

$88,604 /yr

Above median income · poverty 8.2% (Above-median poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

98.9 (US=100)

Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Utah average

City profile score · West Valley City, UT

48/100

4 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023

Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians (income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.

Household income B-
$88,604

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Poverty rate D
8.2%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Cost of living D
98.9 index

BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.

Bachelor's+ share F
15.7%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

West Valley City profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Household income, Poverty rate, Cost of living, Bachelor's+ share. Household incomePoverty rateCost of livingBachelor's+ share 48 D
West Valley City profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Household income: 68/100 (B-) · $88,604
  • Poverty rate: 47/100 (D) · 8.2%
  • Cost of living: 44/100 (D) · 98.9 index
  • Bachelor's+ share: 22/100 (F) · 15.7%

How does West Valley City compare to other US cities?

Here's how West Valley City stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 70% higher than other cities
Home value 75% pricier than other cities
Median rent 60% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares West Valley City against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Utah only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.

Utah-relative analysis

Median Gross Rent places West Valley City near the bottom of Utah's cities

Among the 310 Utah cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, West Valley City ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares West Valley City only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#130 of 293
56th percentile in Utah
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 310
0th percentile in Utah
Median Home Value
#156 of 301
48th percentile in Utah
Poverty Rate
#81 of 310
74th percentile in Utah
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#250 of 310
19th percentile in Utah
How in-state ranks are ordered

Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Utah only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.

70thIncome percentile
Gauge source note

70th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How West Valley City's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$377,300 25th percentile more affordable than 25% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Below this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). This entry sits in this band. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. West Valley City $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

West Valley City's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.3×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#11,415 of 15,516
More affordable than 26% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#353 of 750
Mid-size cities (50,000–199,999)

At 4.3×, West Valley City sits in the moderate band: national rank #11,415 of 15,516 and #353 of 750mid-size cities (50,000–199,999). Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.

How this ratio is calculated

Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000. Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0). This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.

Income distribution context

$88,604 West Valley City, UT median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - West Valley City, UT West Valley City, UT's median household income ($88,604) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not West Valley City, UT-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution West Valley City, UT median $88,604/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
West Valley City, UT median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for West Valley City, UT.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 15.7%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 8.2%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 69.8%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
137,955
Median Income
$88,604
Median Home Value
$377,300
Median Age
30.3
Poverty Rate
8.2%
Labor force participation
69.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
15.7%

Schools

Total Schools
35
Public schools in this city

Population Change

PEP vintage

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
137,000 residents138,000 residents139,000 residents140,000 residents141,000 residents 202020212022202320242025 140,027 residents 137,491 residents ▼ -1.8%
West Valley City's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.
Read the chart as text
Period Population
2020 140,027 residents
2021 139,194 residents
2022 137,691 residents
2023 138,171 residents
2024 138,254 residents
2025 137,491 residents

Housing Supply

BPS source

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized

📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
68
housing units authorized
Single-Family
21
detached homes
Multifamily
47
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.5
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 375
2020 644
2021 267
2022 131
2023 356
2024 68

Permit volume decreased 82% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
20.0 minutes
Drive Alone
71.9%
Carpool
14.4%
Public Transit
1.9%
Walk
0.8%
Work from Home
10.1%
Other
0.9%

Based on 69,148 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

Utah statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $178

EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Utah at $178 (electricity about $85 , water and sewer about $45 ).

These are Utah statewide averages, not a meter reading for West Valley City. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Utah's BEA cost-of-living index is 98.9 (Near Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around West Valley City is $1,313/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Utah statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 36.2 / 100 (Very Low).

Cost/risk geography note

Cost of living is a Utah statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county West Valley City sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How West Valley City compares to similar-size Utah cities

Same-state peer method

Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.

City Population Median Household Income
West Valley City (this city) 137,955 $88,604
West Jordan 116,277 $103,960
Provo 114,303 $62,800
St. George 99,184 $72,870
NCES CCD Census BPS 2024
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

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