The data show nearly 33% Summit County households earned more than $200,000 before taxes in 2023.
That’s compared to 15% of households making less than $50,000. Nearly half of area households are making at least $150,000.
County Economic Development and Housing Director Jeff Jones generated the data with a countywide GIS software and labor market data service. He presented the income data to the Summit County Council Feb. 7 during a discussion about a proposed Kimball Junction housing project.
Incomes vary by location. The median household income in the Snyderville Basin was $175,000 in 2023. The median income in eastern Summit County was $95,000.
Despite the difference in incomes, there isn’t much difference in wages. Jobs in both eastern and western Summit County pay, on average, around $72,000 and $73,000.
“And the big reason for that,” Jones told the council, “is within that [area median income] calculation you’ve got a significant share of high-wealth individuals who earn their money through dividends, interest and rent and do not have an 8-to-5 job.”
U.S. Census Bureau and Utah Department of Workforce Services data from 2015 indicates less than half of Summit County workers are also residents. That means at least 15,000 people are commuting into the county daily.
One main reason is high housing prices, and the issue is likely getting worse: the county’s median income is trending upward.
In 2017, the median family of four made about $100,000. The median family of four now makes almost $150,000 per year.
That’s about double the rate of growth in the past six years than in the 16 years prior.
