What it's like to live in Highland
Highland is a small city in Utah with county unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, a highly educated workforce, and a population that has grown fast since 2020. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Highland deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and larger class sizes than the national average.
The good
- Low unemployment in the county
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Highly educated workforce
- Fast-growing population
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Air quality concerns
- High student-teacher ratio
- Cold winters
- Heavy snowfall — 74" per year
How Highland compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Highland
Based on Highland's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$4,332
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $86,640 a year
- 37% of Highland renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$185,660
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $92,830
- Homes cost 5.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 53% above US
$2,166/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $2,166 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $928,300. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $928,300 · 37% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.6% county unemployment
Unemployment in Utah County is 3.6%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Utah County (county-wide)
Safety
147 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Highland doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Utah County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 215/100k · Policed by Utah County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 11% below US
23 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 23.1 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 23% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 86°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 23°F and snow a regular occurrence.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 79% above US
64% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.
Schools
5 public schools inside the boundary
There are 5 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 27:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Timpanogos Cave National Monument (5 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Highland's strongest points are county unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,166/mo) equals 14% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (23% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.
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