CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

40.11° N · 111.64° W · GEOID 4971290

Spanish Fork

Utah County, Utah · part of the Provo, UT metro

UtahSpanish Fork, UTSpanish ForkSpanish Fork

The short answer

Spanish Fork is home to 44,946 people. Median household income is $104,844 a year and median rent is $1,489 a month, 17.0% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $481,500, about 4.6x annual median household income.

Spanish Fork stands out on value for money. Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 95 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings. Also notable: Homeowners pay a median of about 0.5% of home value a year in property tax, less than in 94% of places its size.

94OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Exceptional

Spanish Fork scores better than 94% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 9th of 94 in Utah.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%54
Economy 20%84
Safety 20%74
Amenities 15%55
Education 10%64
Commute 10%81
Growth 5%89
Median gross rent
$1,489
9% above the median place
Median household income
$104,844
31% above the median place
Median home value
$481,500
51% above the median place
Unemployment
2.3%
52% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Spanish Fork

  • Who lives hereThe median resident is 28.3 years old, younger than in 96% of the 987 places of 25,000 to 50,000 people we track.
01

Moving to Spanish Fork

Utah County gains about 7.1 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in36,148
Moved out31,866
Net+4,282

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Utah, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within UtahOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$69K
Leavers$70K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Utah County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
3.7% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.6% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Utah County report $69,000 a year in income on average; those leaving, $69,500.
Income you would need
$59,600 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,489 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,960 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $481,500.
Getting to work
20 minutes each way on average; 15.0% work from home; 1.7% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Kaysville, UT matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
3.7%
35% below the median place
Moved from another state1
1.6%
20% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
7.1
above the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureSpanish ForkAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year13.7%35% below
Moved from another state11.6%20% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure7.1above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$69,0142% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$69,5241% below
02

What it costs to live here

Vacant homes is 2.1%, 70% below the median place.

Spanish Fork17.0%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$59,560
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
17.0%
17% below the median place
Home price to income
4.6x
21% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
17%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$89,800
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Spanish Fork, $1,489 a month, and local prices for everything else (97.0 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Spanish Fork, but easier on the budget

Places that match Spanish Fork on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Kaysville, UT8213.9% vs 17.0%$28,800Compare
Jefferson, GA8011.7% vs 17.0%n/aCompare
Manhattan, IL7811.3% vs 17.0%$22,200Compare
New Lenox, IL7312.2% vs 17.0%$31,800Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Spanish Fork.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Spanish Fork? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
2.1%
70% below the median place
Property tax rate1
0.5%
48% below the median place
Median year built1
2001
1% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureSpanish ForkAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,4899% above
Rent to income117.0%17% below
Property tax rate10.5%48% below
Home price to income14.6x21% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure98.23% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,36316% below
Property tax paid (median)1$2,28130% below
Median home value1$481,50051% above
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure2.8%12% below
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure53.6%4% above
Homeownership180.4%21% above
Renters paying 30%+146.3%8% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,9605% above
Vacant homes12.1%70% below
Median year built120011% above
03

Work and pay

Unemployment averaged 2.3% over the survey period, lower than in 94% of the 985 places of 25,000 to 50,000 people we track.

Unemployment1
2.3%
52% below the median place
Mean commute1
20 min
20% below the median place
Poverty rate1
6.6%
39% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Median household income$104,844 +31%
Income per person$33,679 −16%
Works from home15.0% +20%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureSpanish ForkAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$104,84431% above
Income per person1$33,67916% below
Unemployment12.3%52% below
Average annual pay5County figure$64,5592% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure3.1%16% below
Jobs5County figure300,580100% above
Poverty rate16.6%39% below
Mean commute120 min20% below
Works from home115.0%20% above
Commutes by transit1County figure1.7%104% above
04

Who lives here

Households average 3.59 people, larger than than in 97% of the 987 places of 25,000 to 50,000 people we track.

Household size1
3.6
44% above the median place
Median age1
28.3
27% below the median place
Population change since 20206
14.6%
above the median place (median 1.1%)

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Homes with broadband97.0% +5%
Born abroad5.7% −36%
Bachelor's or higher39.3% +23%
High school or higher94.1% +2%
No health insurance6.5% +2%
All 9 people measures
MeasureSpanish ForkAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population144,946990th largest
Population change since 2020614.6%above (median 1.1%)
Median age128.327% below
Bachelor's or higher139.3%23% above
High school or higher194.1%2% above
Household size13.644% above
Born abroad15.7%36% below
No health insurance16.5%2% above
Homes with broadband197.0%5% above
05

Life in Spanish Fork

The nearest National Park Service site is Timpanogos Cave National Monument, about 23 miles away.

Founded or incorporated in 1851. 4 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark. Its history on Wikipedia

  • Jones, David H., House listed 1985
  • Spanish Fork High School Gymnasium listed 1985
  • Thompson Family Farmstead listed 2023
  • Thurber School listed 2024

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents17.4 +71%
Playgrounds per 10k22.7 2.4×
Grocery stores per 10k1.3 −37%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k9.6 −14%
Libraries per 10k0.4 −49%
Named paths and bike trails18 km 8.8×
Bus and rail stops per sq mi2.0 9.7×

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Timpanogos Cave National Monument 23 miles
  • Golden Spike National Historical Park 114 miles
  • Fossil Butte National Monument 129 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars15.1 −27%
Shops28.8 −5%
Arts, recreation and fitness5.4 +32%
Doctors' offices and clinics22.5 +11%
Child care centers1.6 −30%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Students per teacher13
21.7
41% above the median place
Public school students13
12,387
153% above the median place
Public schools13
15
67% above the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureSpanish ForkAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools131567% above
Public school students1312,387153% above
Students per teacher1321.741% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure15.127% below
Shops per 10k8County figure28.85% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure5.432% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure22.511% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.630% below
Parks per 10k917.471% above
Playgrounds per 10k922.7141% above
Grocery stores per 10k91.337% below
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k99.614% below
Libraries per 10k90.449% below
Named paths and bike trails917.6above (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi92.0above (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1022.926% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles10150% below
National Register listings11469% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Violent crime per 100k is 98, 49% below the median place.

Violent crime per 100k
98
49% below the median place
Property crime per 100k
744
39% below the median place
Months reported
12 of 12
by the city police department to the FBI

Counts only offenses reported by the city police department. Sheriff, state and campus police are not included, and some departments do not report to the FBI at all, so compare with care.

Wildfire risk15
98.9
61% above the median place
Average temperature14
47°F
14% below the median place
Annual precipitation14
19.1 in
56% below the median place
All 10 weather and risk measures
MeasureSpanish ForkAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high14County figure86°F1% below
January average low14County figure17°F31% below
Average temperature14County figure47°F14% below
Annual precipitation14County figure19.1 in56% below
Natural hazard risk15County figure95.33% above
Tornado risk15County figure52.635% below
Wildfire risk15County figure98.961% above
Heat wave risk15County figure94.35% above
Median air quality index16County figure4812% above
Good air days16County figure56.4%18% below
08

Spanish Fork in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 17% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 17% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Spanish Fork does better than 53% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 87%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,489/mo (2024)$1,920/mo$1,570 to $2,340/mo+4.3%
Median household income$104,844 (2024)$133,500$113,000 to $158,000+4.1%
Median home value$481,500 (2024)$715,000$519,000 to $984,000+6.8%
Population48,837 (2025)52,63050,480 to 54,860+1.5%

The median home would be worth 5.3 years of the median income in 2030, against 4.6 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Spanish Fork

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Pleasant Grove, UT$1,689$101,073Compare
Springville, UT$1,572$89,816Compare
Smithfield, UT$1,311$97,537Compare
American Fork, UT$1,697$98,878Compare
American Fork, UTSmithfield, UTSpringville, UTPleasant Grove, UTSpanish Fork, UTSpanish ForkSpringvilleSmithfieldSpanish ForkSpringvilleSmithfield

Places built like Spanish Fork

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Spanish Fork performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Spanish Fork, UT17.0%6.0%/yr14.6%
Syracuse, UT19.2%6.0%/yr24.2%Compare
Payson, UT20.7%6.0%/yr16.5%Compare
Springville, UT21.0%5.4%/yr1.1%Compare
Pleasant Grove, UT20.1%6.9%/yr0.1%Compare
Smithfield, UT16.1%6.5%/yr11.7%Compare
Santaquin, UT16.8%6.7%/yr38.4%Compare

Common questions

Is Spanish Fork a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 94 out of 100, better than 94% of the places we rate and 9th of 94 in Utah. The median resident is 28.3 years old, younger than in 96% of the 987 places of 25,000 to 50,000 people we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 75 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Spanish Fork expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 17.0% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $481,500.

What salary do you need to live in Spanish Fork?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $59,560 a year. Work it out from your current city.

Is Spanish Fork safe?

There were 98 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 192 in the typical place.

What places are similar to Spanish Fork?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Pleasant Grove, UT, Springville, UT, Smithfield, UT and American Fork, UT.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  13. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  14. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  15. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  16. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Spanish Fork with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Spanish Fork itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/spanish-fork-utah

Citytistics. “Spanish Fork, Utah.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/spanish-fork-utah/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.