What it's like to live in Midvale
Midvale is a small city in Utah with unemployment below the national average and commutes that run shorter than most cities. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Midvale deals with home prices well above the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, larger class sizes than the national average, and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin.
The good
- Low unemployment
- Short commutes
The not so good
- High home prices
- Air quality concerns
- High student-teacher ratio
- High rent burden for renters
- Cold winters
- Snowy winters — 56" per year
How Midvale compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Midvale
Based on Midvale's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,194
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $63,880 a year
- 52% of Midvale renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$87,320
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $43,660
- Homes cost 5.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 13% above US
$1,597/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,597 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices run above average, with a median around $436,600. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $436,600 · 52% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 19% below US
3.5% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.5%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety
179 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Midvale doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Unified Police Department 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 1405/100k · Policed by Unified Police Department (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 21% below US
21 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 20.6 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 15% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 87°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 24°F and snow a regular occurrence.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforceNear US average
34% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 34% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
7 public schools inside the boundary
There are 7 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 20:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Timpanogos Cave National Monument (15 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Midvale's strongest points are unemployment below the national average and commutes that run shorter than most cities; the main tradeoffs are home prices well above the national average and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,597/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (15% of workers here already work from home) and people who want short commutes.
Other places near Midvale
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